Something heavenly.

Well, first things first... November 11, 2012 at just about noon, I stepped back on the soil of my new home... Haiti! Rebecca & I met in Miami airport just before departure to Port au Prince... besides a slight electrical problem on the airplane prior to departure (Thank the Lord!!), traveling went smoothly!! We then met a few nice gentlemen who helped us find our bags and escorted us to where Joyce & Molly were waiting!  The car ride was pretty short up into the Kenscoff Mountains where God's Littlest Angels calls home. The roads were primarily paved & there was even a yellow line dividing the sides of the road... not that anyone pays attention to them!!

Fort Jacques- Toddler 'Pods' 1-3 built, 4-6 being built!

We then arrived at GLA and were welcomed with open arms, balloons, streamers, signs & cookies! Seriously, the staff here is wonderful and inviting and am so glad to be a part of the GLA team! Over the last few days Rebecca & I have been settling in at GLA and into our wonderful accomadations! We've gotten the tour of the main house where we will be working and the NICU is along with the younger children & we were also able to be apart of cinema night at the toddler house which is about a 10 minute drive from the main house... Oh my goodness, such a fun time with all the kids (and with the staff as we worked together to make popcorn for the kids).  Today, Rebecca and I also went up to Fort Jacques where the new orphanage is being built... It's absolutely beautiful! Seriously, God never ceases to amaze me in the beauty he has created for us to enjoy.

We also have been getting oriented to the different nurseries at the main house and attempting to remember names of the children, nannies, nurses, & staff... Not to mention trying to communicate with our broken Haitian Creole! Can not wait to have language lessons!! I'm sure I'll have lots of fun stories about conversations getting lost in translation!

I have been a little under the weather since I left the U.S.... unfortunately I feel like I'm dragging a bit and a little foggy, so I apologize if this blog seems like a ramble.  Overall though, I am feeling excited about my new home and also thankful for God's provisions!  Well, that sums up the last 4 days in very little words but before I go, I want to thank those in the States that sent me off. Thank you for your prayers, support & love. I am so thankful for each one of you and blessed to have you in my life! 

...to be continued...

-B

"Whatever you're doing inside of me 
It feels like chaos but now I can see 
This is something bigger than me 
Larger than life something heavenly
Something heavenly" 
-Sanctus Real "Whatever you're doing"

Logistically speaking.

So I just have to say God is so good. In just about 6 weeks I will be starting my life in Haiti and at God's Littlest Angels. If you missed my previous post You don't want to miss this, you should definitely read up and check out the video on God's Littlest Angels. So, one major thing I needed to do before moving was find my dog a home... Well, good news!!! Boo has a home with one of my co-workers at Duke (Thank you, Erica & Ian!!). I already am missing him terribly and I have 4 days left with him! I also really wanted to try to get rid of my road bike... because let's be honest a road bike has no use in Haiti... A mountain bike yes, a road bike... well that's a big fat no! Well, the road bike is gone, thanks to the store I bought it from! So, two big things off the list!

Over the past few days I've started to separate all of my things between Haiti, Pennsylvania, & Goodwill. Now, I've realized that I wear the same things over and over and a lot of my things will serve no use in Haiti. So mostly, besides a few items, it's pretty much just a Haiti and goodwill pile... Then we get into my furniture items, which thankgoodness, I have just a tiny bit of furniture in my 600sq foot apartment...It's got to go, because there is no use storing the little bit that I do have.

Many people ask me how long will I stay in Haiti. Honestly, I have no clue. My answer continues to be as long as God wants me there. Things may happen, scenarios may change, but Haiti will always be in my life.

Well, as I mentioned before, just about 6 weeks until I leave the U.S.... The next two weeks will be filled with wedding festivities in SC and PA. I'll spend about two and half weeks at Duke (& saying goodbye to my NC life) and then head on home to VA and PA where I'll spend my final week hanging out with the family... (I'm praying my newest nephew will be born prior to me leaving, his due date is a day prior to my potential leave date!!) Along with all that I'm going to try to work on my Haitian-Creole, dust up on some NICU skills (CPAP, IV's, etc) and get in some much needed friend time between PA, NC, & SC!

So anyways... this blog is a blog of logistics but good information none the less! I seriously could have not asked God to work out the logistics and timing better than He is doing right now.

I thank you all for your prayers and support!

...to be continued...

-B