Lay it at his feet!

Where to even begin! So much has happened since I last updated you guys, and I apologize for it being so long.

First, Hurricane/Tropical Storm Isaac was quite the experience. We were never in any sort of danger because our house is solid concrete and very sturdy. However, over 400,000 Haitian people are still living in tents and makeshift dwellings and were dramatically affected by the storm. In fact, one of the men who attend our English and Bible classes lost everything: his tent and his belongings as they were ransacked by others that live close to him. He was still in good spirits and was welcomed to our guesthouse to stay the night and eat a good, hot meal. Two of our full-time missionaries made a way to get him a new tent and he was so very grateful. It was a beautiful reminder of God’s provision and protection.

During the days before the storm hit and a few days afterwards, we brought in all 12 of our children which live in our Children’s Home. It was a very interesting few days full of lots of diaper changing, screaming babies, and crazy antsy kids who just wanted to go play. We shared our living space with all 5 of our babies (meaning those that still wear diapers). Despite the craziness that it may have looked like, it was great to continue to love on those kids and bring them to our home and show them that they truly are loved and appreciated. But be certain of this, I hugged every single one of the ladies who work in our Children’s home and thanked them immensely for the love they show these kids every single day. God is using them to touch these children’s hearts and it’s beautiful to watch and come alongside of.

Birthday Party for Rowen!! :) Loving some  cupcakes! 

Karis and her Cupcake :) 

Haha! Probably the best face ever! Love this baby! 

A couple of weeks ago we helped with a medical clinic at the church we attend here in Haiti. I helped test the blood sugars of lots of patients and even got to practice manually sticking someone’s finger for testing because we ran out of machine lancets. It was horrible watching the faces and reactions of the people who would jerk and twinge in pain at the thought of me manually pricking their finger, but everyone was a good sport and we were able to test everyone who came to the clinic. It was fun to actually get back into the medical realm for a little bit and love on some beautiful people at the same time. God sure is good!

Scrubs on and ready to work at the Medical Clinic at Church! :)
Felt so good to put these on again! 

Since then, we have kept busy with teaching English at the Children’s Home twice a week, teaching English and Bible Classes in Karadue three times a week, and fulfilling whatever other commitment that may arise as we go on. It has been unbelievable to be able to live here in this country and pour into the lives of people who mean so much to me. My babies at the Children’s Home had already stolen my heart, but I think now they know that they will forever be part of my family no matter where in the world we may end up. My ladies in my English class have been such a blessing. There have been many times that we have been late to class because of traffic, car trouble or anything really, but they are always there, waiting. Waiting in a bus that is incredibly hot after walking from wherever they may live, whether that is in the tent city or outside of it. Many come with their children as well and some come with no shoes. But they always come and they are always ready and eager to learn, not only English but about our Savior. Many of my ladies do not have a Bible to read, so they soak up any and all scripture we talk about and either write it down or sit in intense concentration in order to learn as much as they possibly can. God has blessed and once we noticed the need for bibles around 700 US dollars have been donated to buy bibles for not just our classes, but anyone who comes to know Christ through prayer walks that we may take or just any encounter we may have. It was amazing to watch how God works and my ladies sure we thankful to get their own copy of the Word!!

Waiting patiently as we began to tell them that we had brought them Bibles today! 

Look at that smile! She kept saying, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Handing out Bibles to my Ladies! :) They were SO SO excited! 

Checking out their new bibles! 

So… What has God been teaching me the past two months? My ladies and I and a couple of our amazing translators have been going through the book of 1 John. One day we came across this verse, one that immediately spoke to my heart….

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”-1 John 5:3 

Whoa..

Let me just give you the complete story.. At church that previous Sunday, the pastor had read in the book of Matthew chapter 11 verses 28-30.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

Talk about the Lord smacking you in the face with his own words…

How many times do we think that following the Lord, going where he tells us to, and doing what he tells us to is easy? I am going to be honest… There are PLENTY of times in the past year and half when God completely rocked my world and turned my fleshly plan and desires for my life upside down and put me on a new God given path that I thought to myself, “Lord, this is hard. How in the world is this going to work?” And just because I am living in Haiti doesn’t mean that things have gotten easier, because if anything the devil has thrown more and more fuel to the fire he wishes to set in between me and God’s plan for my life.

But… Through my ladies and the sweet pastor at PAP fellowship.. I realized why I thought his ways were so hard… I tried to take all the things the devil was throwing at me and every failure and heartache and hateful word said to me and deal with it on my own. I had the mindset that, “Lord, I have seen far more important things that you need to be dealing with. I’ll just keep quiet and deal with this on my own.” Friends, that is not the way to go at all. God tells us, “COME TO ME!!” He desires us to lay our burdens and our heartaches and our pain at HIS feet because he cares for US (1 peter 5:7). He wants us to tell him our deepest heartaches and know that ultimately if we give it all to him, that he is in control and we have nothing to fear. Only HE can change hearts, only HE saves, and only HE can move the mountains or extinguish the fires that the devil puts in our paths… So I challenge y’all to walk with me in this! Let’s tell God what’s going on in our lives. Let’s lay it all at his feet, because in the end… Is it really ours to carry around anyway?

We currently have a team from Lifepoint Church in Murfreesboro, TN here with us and I will have a new post shortly detailing how wonderful our week with them has been! Until next time…

Love and Prayers from Haiti!!

Living and Loving in Haiti... :)

 Wow... Where do I even begin? Beforehand, I apologize if this blog is long or seems to be all over the place as you read it.. Life in Haiti has been crazy. I get here and our internet doesn't work.. then my computer decides to be silly and not want to connect to the internet... But now, finally, both computer and internet are now harmoniously working together! :) So, I am sorry for the few and far between updates, and I hope to now have a more regular updates for you guys.

As for what you all are wanting to know... How is life in Haiti? Let's try and explain the emotions of my first week... Have you ever been fortunate enough to know the feeling of complete contentment?  That wonderful feeling where you get that blessed assurance from God that you are right where he wants you to be? If so, you know exactly how I am feeling...

It's been amazing to see already in such a short time how God is working and moving in this beautiful country... I am in awe as we drive around and see all the rebuilding taking place, and the areas that were once full of tents and  now are completely free of them. It's humbling to see the progress being made in this place not only in the physical sense but also spiritually.

Monday, we went to a tent city in Karadue, where Chadasha teaches English and Bible classes to the community. There are ladies's, men's, and children's classes, all of which take place in a old bus... If you had told me two years ago that I was going to move to Haiti, and grow closer to the Lord with a group of women inside a bus, I would have told you that you were crazy!! It's amazing where God will take us when we are willing to answer his call...  It was so exciting to watch the class I will be teaching (the ladies) learn not only a new language, but also be so hungry to learn more and form a more intimate relationship with God. I cannot wait to see what God teaches me through working with these amazing women!

The ladies :) 

We have also been loving on a few Haitian children who are currently in the Dominican Republic for heart surgeries. Their names and faces are shown here:

Djoudly, age 6

This little cutie pie is Christman, age 2

This adorable child is Richama, age 4.
We found out today that she will not require surgery and will be returning home with her mother on Thursday! Praise!!

This beautiful girl is Ciara, age 5.

This is Todd a 6 month old, our youngest, who has a heart problem and Down's Syndrome. SO precious! 

All of these kiddos stole my heart when I met them. They were all pretty shy and apprehensive to play with us, but as the days went on they warmed up to us. Please, please join us in lifting them up in prayer, not just for the children, but their families, the staff that is there working with them, and the doctors. My heart desires nothing more than to be there to witness each of these children receive a precious miracle from God.. but there was just not enough room for me to accompany. Therefore, I am still in Port-au-prince, loving his people and praying fervently everyday for all these sweet children and their families that the love of Christ would embrace them every moment while they are gone, even when I can't! Join me! :) 

UPDATE: Christman is scheduled for surgery on Friday! Please be remembering him and his sweet mother in your prayers. I can only imagine the emotions running through her heart and mind as she watches her baby go through this surgery, but we know God's there and he is able to give her peace and strength that surpasses all things. 

Outside of heart patients, we have been loving on the sweet children that are in Chadasha's Children's Home. These kids have such a big place in my heart and I love them all dearly. God has truly blessed me and allowed me to watch them all grow up and begin WALKING! It's crazy to think how far these children have come in such a short time... from malnourished and near death... to healthy, walking, talking children! There is plenty to praise the Lord for! 

Sweet Soloman and I :) 

I want to leave you all with a beautiful story I was told at church on Sunday by our pastor. He told his story of where he was when the earthquake took place... He explained how his wife had called him to come get their children out of school early, and how just 4 minutes after he got his children the earthquake happened. The school that they attended was destroyed and all those who were inside were gone. He said they were in the street praying and people were trying to use their cell phones, but there was no service. He said he told them that there was one phone line that was always in service, and that was the line to Jesus Christ. He said some people came to know the love of Christ that day and accept him into their heart... All because in the midst of immense tragedy, one man was ready and willing to share that the one person in which we have hope is Jesus. How beautiful and encouraging is that?! How many times do we take whatever we are going through in this life and say, "Lord you have more important things to worry about, I'll just deal with this on my own," or have a moment of weakness and get consumed with our problems and forget that we have an almighty Savior who is waiting on us to hand it all over to him. How encouraging to know that no matter what we have done in this life, or where we are in our walk with the Lord that he is always there, ready and waiting for us to call on his precious name. I encourage you to join me in remembering that we don't have to go through this life alone... That our heavenly Father is always there. All we have to do is pick up the phone, and he will always be there to listen... Be encouraged!! :) 

I love you all, and appreciate all your prayers. You will never know how much you all mean to me. :) I'm praying for you!! 

Following God... Without Excuses

I know it's been too long since I have written an update... so here goes nothing....

Lately, my life has consisted of non-stop studying for a huge test, helping my hometown church with their VBS, and then going on a longgggg but fun trip to a local amusement park-Lake Winnie-to enjoy fun and fellowship with the youth of our church.

But what has been on my heart and mind 24/7...You guessed it, Haiti. Most of you are now saying, "Well, that's no surprise"  and you're right. It's always on my mind, especially the sweet kids that I love so much and wish I could call my own. I'm so overwhelmed with emotions when I remember that I will be there in just 8 days! 8 DAYS?!?! Is this real life? God has truly blessed and provided in soooo many ways it's crazy to think about!

Remembering last year and the moments in my life that have lead to this amazing journey I am about to embark on is incredible. I remember last fall when I got some startling news that completely surprised me and those closest to me... and the drastic change of plans that lead to an open year for me to figure out what to do with. Immediately my heart thought of Haiti... It thought of a precious little boy named Jonas, who I will probably never see again, but taught me so much about unconditional love and unwavering optimism  last summer.

Jonas and I :) 

 I thought of Naomi and Ruth, two precious twin girls, who I bonded and shared many precious moments with during late night/early morning feedings while singing soft lullaby's that lead to restful sleep-eventually :).

Namoi and I

I thought of the many children at Chadasha's Children's Home-where I literally left my heart and literally tear up/cry everytime I remember the precious kids there that would wave and blow kisses every time we would leave.

All my kiddos :) 

 Down deep in my heart I knew that what I considered failure and disappointment, God was going to use to change my life and further his kingdom.

So now, here I sit... 8 days away from home! To say I am excited is such an understatement, as words cannot do my current emotions justice! :)

A little side note of interest... I receive information from Samaritan's Purse-the organization that does Operation Christmas Child because of the recent boxes my brother and I made to send to some needy kiddos this Christmas. I always enjoy reading about various projects this organization has going on all throughout the world and seeing specific prayer requests for various nations all across the globe. A couple weeks ago-in prime cramming time for that huge test I keep referring to-I was at a low point of confidence and began to question, "Lord, what in the world am I doing? This really isn't going to work out... So why am I even trying this hard? What does it matter? My heart's in Haiti... How can I be a doctor and be in Haiti at the same time?!?!"

Well... I received a prayer bulletin from Samaritan's Purse that same day in the mail and read a very interesting article that talked about a World Medical Mission Post-Residency Program for Physicians that have recently graduated Medical School and completed their residency programs. This program sends physicians and their families to a mission hospital somewhere around the globe that is in need of a physician in their specific specialty. They serve in this hospital for two years while receiving a stipend for living and also help in repaying their student loans. I was amazed and immediately looked up the program for more information and ran across a story titled, "Following God without Excuses." This story told of a young physician who was sent to Papua New Guinea for the two years of her post-residency by Samaritans purse-but has since decided that God's call on her life was longer than that and is now a full-time medical missionary at the hospital there. I want to leave you guys with an excerpt from this story-something that weighed heavily on my heart-knowing that there are people out there with the same desires that I have...

“I believe that medicine and evangelism go hand in hand,” Erin said. “As a physician, not only do I care about patients’ physical health, but I also take care of their spiritual health, too. It’s part of the whole person.”

Whenever Erin treats a patient for a physical need, she also makes sure she gives them a spiritual check up as well.

“If I don’t talk with a patient about Jesus or pray with a patient it can be considered medical malpractice because I’m withholding something that could really help a patient,” Erin said with conviction. “I’m not going to be able to treat and cure everyone’s physical ailments, but spiritually, if they believe in Christ, we know where they’re going.” 

 As she contemplates the future, Erin is encouraged by a recent study she did on the life of Moses. “I was really challenged by Exodus 3 where Moses initially responds, ‘Here I am,’ but then comes up with many reasons why God should find someone else,” Erin said. “I pray that as I continue to pray and seek Him for my future, that I will be obedient to Him and not find excuses.”

That last paragraph challenged me... How many times do we offer up excuses for why we can't do something that God has obviously laid on our heart? I can't tell you how many times a day I hear, "Why are you going to Haiti? Don't you think people here in America need your help? Shouldn't you just stay?" While it is true that there are people in our own nation in dire need of a helping hand, the only thing I can say is I am going where the good Lord is leading... I prayed, "Here I am lord.. Send me.. No matter where it is.. I'll go".... Now he's laid Haiti on my heart, and I'm going... No excuses. Is it going to be easy? Not at all... Is it going to be worth it? I have no doubt in my mind that it will be. Join me, and let's see Jesus made famous all across this big world!! Praying for you all today!

Precious Children of God

Growing up, I have always seen the love that children with special needs can give. My mother was a special education teacher for almost 30 years, and it was through her and her love for these children that my heart began to see the love, joy, and hope that children can give-and is where my heart for children began.

During my first trip to Haiti in March, I was blessed to meet a beautiful baby girl named Melissa. Melissa was born with Down’s syndrome and also had a serious heart defect. Her young mother, knowing she could not possibly give her the care she needed, gave her to those who could. 

This is sweet, beautiful Melissa Hope!

Melissa was taken in by an amazing couple, Wilna and Stanley, both of which I was blessed to work with in March. Wilna is not only an Olympic athlete, but an amazingly kind and loving person. Stanley has a wonderful sense of humor and a beautiful, kind heart as well. They both took in Melissa as their own and loved and cared for her. 

Wilna and precious Melissa!

A precious doctor from the United States, Jenny, came to Haiti to serve and was there when Melissa was first found. When Jenny met Melissa, she instantly fell in love with her. Jenny is an amazing, selfless person whose heart is as big as they come. Her and her husband Jack, who came for his first visit during my last 3 week stint in Haiti, loved Melissa dearly and they were in the last stages of adopting her. 

Jenny, Jack, and Melissa!

Melissa’s sweet, beautiful life on this earth was full of people who loved her. Her precious heart touched all those who knew her, including me. As soon as I laid eyes on her I was in awe of her beautiful spirit. And because of my connections and deep love for children with special needs, my heart was so glad to hear that she had a loving family desiring to adopt her and that Wilna and Stanley were taking care of her until the process was finalized.

You can also imagine the heartbreak when earlier this weekend, I was told that little Melissa’s oxygen levels were not where they needed to be and that she was in desperate need of surgery. Chadasha again started the process of trying to find a hospital in the US that would be willing to take care of sweet Melissa, and were having no such luck. This morning the situation seemed some better and while she was still on oxygen and had a fluid imbalance there was some hope that she could go home, but God had other plans…

Today, as sweet Melissa was sleeping soundly God called her home. Her beautiful life here on this Earth may have only been 18 months, but the lasting impact she made on all those who knew her will live forever. I cannot put into words how precious this beautiful child of God was, or how much I enjoyed her amazing smile, and hearing her jabber to me and knowing that we were holding a precious conversation. My heart is broken for all those who invested in her life, cared for her, and loved her as Christ himself would. Despite all this, my soul finds comfort in knowing that even though her earthly heart was damaged and couldn’t hold up to the stresses of this life, she now has a brand new heart-one that is whole again, where she can forever run and play and enjoy the beauties and splendors of eternity in heaven with our lord. Her heart will never be troubled, her eyes will never shed another tear, and her sweet, precious smile will continue to shine bright in her new, eternal home. It is there that she is waiting for all of those who loved and cared for her, and I cannot wait until the day that her earthly families see her again, and for the moment that I can hold that precious child in my arms again.

If you read my previous blog post on the sweet story of little Kathline, you can see that situations like this in Haiti are not few, and far between. They are real and they happen more so than any of us are aware of. It is a heartbreaking situation and one that I am so thankful that God has opened my eyes to. I know that little Kathline and Melissa are resting in the arms of Jesus and will enjoy all the wonders that heaven has to offer together, hand in hand, until their sweet families are reunited with them again someday. What could be more beautiful than that?  

Today, I again ask for your prayers. Prayers for the two sweet families who dearly loved Melissa, that God will comfort their hearts in the days, weeks, and months to come. Prayers for the missionaries on the ground in Haiti who have invested so much into the lives of children like Melissa and Kathline-specifically Michelle, Greg, John, Sara, and Chelsey, that God will strengthen them, comfort them, and continue to ignite this fire within them as only he can. And finally, please, please, please pray for the people of Haiti-that God will continue to send godly men and women there to help this nation of beautiful people. My heart resides within its borders and I pray that others will come to see the beauty that this place has to offer and be filled with a desire to help many other children like little Kathline and Melissa.

May God Bless you all!

Love and Prayers,

Brittany

In thy presence is fullness of joy

Tonight, is one of those nights when you can’t sleep and you are stressed with tons of things to do for school, all the while consumed by an extremely heavy heart. I have been back in America for 3 weeks now, and not a day goes by that I don’t think about those precious children and close friends I left back in Haiti. It has been extremely tough, but God has definitely been right by my side every single step. When I have had feelings of confusion, frustration, and fear for the future, I turn to him the only one in whom I can find peace and rest.

It has been very difficult trying to explain to those around me just exactly what God is doing in my life. Before I went to Haiti in March, my goals were to become a surgeon and practice medicine and help a lot of beautiful children live better lives here in America. Now, God has broken my heart daily for the beautiful people of Haiti. My heart continually aches for their suffering and hardships that I know they will face on a daily basis. Because of this and inadequate MCAT scores that were received just as I returned from Haiti, I began to question if God really wanted me to be a doctor, and if this really was the plan he has set out before me.

Asking myself that question was absolutely terrifying. Becoming a physician has been a dream and goal of mine for as long as I can remember and now that things weren’t working out just perfectly, my human nature began to question things. It was then, when I was at my lowest of lows and completely lost, that God used the beautiful story of a sweet, young girl to show me his will and direction for my life.

Chadasha, the foundation that I serve with in Haiti, partners with ICHF-International Children’s Heart Foundation. ICHF works to provide heart surgeries to children in third world countries, such as Haiti. This is where sweet, sweet Kathline’s story begins. My friend Chelsey is currently serving in Haiti and it is through her beautifully written blog that I was told of this story, which you can read here: http://chelsey-temporaryhome.blogspot.com/2011_08_01_archive.html.  

Kathline was a beautiful 3 year old child who had a severe heart condition, and was scheduled to have heart surgery in July. However, the team that was supposed to be performing the surgery did not have the necessary equipment, so the procedure was pushed back to mid-September. While Chelsey was at Medishare-one of the hospitals in Haiti-working out how she was going to volunteer as a nurse there the following week, she saw Kathline and her mother in the ER. The staff there thought she was in the early stages of heart failure, so the Chadasha staff began working to try and find a way for this child to come to the United States for her surgery. This is not as easy as it sounds. In order for this to happen, the receiving hospital in the US has to be willing to cover all costs of the procedure from the moment she steps off the plane. Finding a hospital willing to do this is very difficult and Chadasha had no such luck. So, the next plan was to take her to a hospital in the Dominican Republic with more equipment to stabilize her until her surgery could be performed. Later on that night, they received a call from Medishare saying that little Kathline was not doing well and she had woken up and was getting worse. Before the Chadasha staff could get back to the hospital, they received another call saying little Kathline had passed away.

Reading this story, I just wept and wept. I had never met this child before, but my heart just broke in two for her mother, brother, and all of those who had worked so hard to get her this surgery. The hardest thing for me to deal with about the entire situation was knowing that in the US, this would not have happened. Her heart was simply sick, and just needed a procedure to help fix it and she would have lived a relatively normal, happy life. Her sweet life was cut short because of the lack of resources and available surgeons. It is the heartbreaking reality of this country, and is something that I hope and pray daily will change quickly.

Kathline’s short life touched many, many people, including myself, even though I had never even met her. I realized through this horrible situation, how selfish I was being by questioning if I was supposed to become a doctor or not. I was searching for the easy way out, the path of least resistance, and the fastest way to get back to Haiti sooner without thinking of the consequences.

Haiti needs surgeons. Plain and simple. They need surgical equipment and those that know how to use it to prevent situations such as Kathline’s from happening again. It was then that I realized that going to Haiti without doing everything in my power to become a surgeon was doing a disservice to these people. My heart is there, and I would love nothing more than to pack my bags and be on the next flight to Port-au-Prince tomorrow morning. BUT, the time isn’t right. It is so hard for me to know that doing this is going to push back being in Haiti long-term for 10 years or more, but I know down deep in my heart that this is the purpose God has for my life.

In Psalm 16:11 we read that,

“Thou wilt show me the path of life; in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.”

Going down this road is going to be very hard and difficult to manage, but through reading this scripture I am reminded that in his presence I not only have joy, but fullness of joy, and that at his right hand are pleasures forevermore. He will show me the path of life that he wants me to take-and right now, I take comfort in knowing that his path is far greater than anything I could ever plan out or imagine.

Please, please, please, please pray for these people. Pray that God will continue to send knowledgeable people, full of love and joy that only Jesus Christ can give, to help the people of Haiti.  Pray for sweet Kathline's mom and brother and their whole family during this time of mourning that God will comfort their hearts as only he can. Pray for Chadasha and all those who tried so hard to save this little girl’s life. Pray they will not get discouraged and despite this horrible sadness will continue to see that their efforts in Haiti are not in vain. Finally, and most unimportant compared to all the rest-pray for me. Pray that my heart will stay strong and that Kathline’s story and others like it will continue to PUSH me on. When days get tough and the road to my heart’s desire gets long, that I will NEVER forget my purpose. To help these people.

Love and Prayers,

Brittany

Because he is owned by Christ, he owes Christ to the world!!

Bonswa!

I am so sorry it has been awhile since I blogged last but so much has happened since then so I apologize in advance for the length of this blog.

Last Sunday, we went to church here in Haiti at the same church we attended while I was here in March. It was a great service that I was so blessed by. These church members worship God so diligently and with such passion and love in their hearts. I am always in awe of their faith knowing that many of these same people lost family members, friends, and loved ones in the Earthquake. It was so great to be back in fellowship with them again and I look forward to two more Sunday’s with them before I have to return home!

After church, we got to take Haitian transportation affectionately known as tap-taps!! These are along the same lines as taxis, but are nothing like those you see in America. They are brightly colored trucks with an overhang on top of the bed to shield you from the sun. Haitians pile into these tap-taps, sitting in each other’s laps and filling them to the brim before using them to travel around the city. Then, once you want to stop you just ask someone to tap on the window and they will stop and let you out. It is a great way to travel around here and I was so excited that we all got to travel back to the house this way!! Before anyone panics, our security guard that stands guard at the house rode with us and made sure that we were well taken care of and stayed safe during our adventure! It was soooo much fun and I look forward to riding one again soon!!

Once we got back to the house from church, we quickly changed clothes and then headed out to the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic to visit Jimani. Jimani is the birthplace of Chadasha-where Dr. Clint Dorian and those on the board established a hospital and boarding school with team housing right across the Haiti-DR border. It was such a beautiful place and extremely nice and well-taken care of. John and Melissa Hanley run this branch of Chadasha and were such sweet people to take us in for a few days. During our time there we helped organize the medicine in the pharmacy of the hospital, including getting rid of all the expired medicine. I was SO excited about exploring the hospital since it is my dream, that if it be God’s will I can one day open a similar hospital in Haiti! It was so surreal walking through the operating rooms, examination rooms and seeing all the plans to make the hospital even better than it is now. I am so excited for what God has in store for that place and all the good that will come from it!

Also, while we were in Jimani a team from Largo, Florida was staying there as well. They were an AMAZING group of people will beautiful hearts! I am soooo thankful that God allowed us to be a part of their trip and watch them interact and minister to the community! It was a beautiful thing.

The best day of our stay in Jimani was our adventure to Batey 41. Batey 41 is actually in Haiti, but lies across a lake and can only be reached by land on the DR side of the border. With 2 days of failed attempts to cross into Batey 41 because of border patrol police who refused to let us through, God showed his power and we used an alternate route! We took a boat, rowboat to be exact, across the biggest lake in Haiti to reach Batey 41. The rowboats were made by the people who live in the Batey from any extra lumbar they could find. You can imagine the adventure we had as we piled into these boats and rowed across the lake as someone pailed out water from the inside until we reached the shore on the other side. It was an awesome experience and I loved it!! God had his hand on us and we made it to and from the Batey safely in these boats. The adventure was well worth it to get to visit Batey 41 and meet so many sweet, sweet people.

As soon as we reached the shore, children swarmed us. These children live in huts, with thatched roofs and have no running water or electricity. It is a truly humbling place. Despite all this, these people are genuinely happy! They have nothing, but were so excited to show us their houses and walk us through the neighborhood. I had a little boy who stayed attached to me for most of the time we spent there. His sweet smile will forever be in my memory. Also, a young boy who had come to Port-Au-Prince from Batey 41 for hernia repair had just recently returned to the Batey. It was so excited to see him and his mother again and look at his incision and see how great his was doing post-surgery!! He just reached for me and let me and the other girls here hold him as we continued exploring the Batey. We walked through the neighborhood praying for people and playing with children when we came to a house with a young week old baby inside. The mother said he was sick and while one of the other girls was holding him he began to have a seizure. As we stayed and examined further, it was seen that they were long lasting; longest one was 11 minutes long. This was truly a heartbreaking situation for everyone involved. This young child going through so much at such a young age, and not being able to eat because of such frequent seizures was just numbing. John Hanley then worked his magic and found out that a neurologist was coming to Port-Au-Prince and that we could get the baby to our house until Monday when the doctor arrived!! It was all God’s provision and just goes to show that he will never leave nor forsake us and will always provide for his children!! Leaving that place was so difficult. The sweet, sweet people will forever remain in my heart and I hope and pray for the day that I can return there!!

After going to the Batey, we returned home to Port-Au-Prince on Thursday. Not long after we returned we made a trip to the orphanage to visit with the children who by this time I was desperate to see!! Children complaining that they were sick soon swarmed me. One young boy, around the age of 3, had a fever and was very weak. Through the help of the other girls and our translator I was able to get some medicine down him and instructions left with the ladies who stay at the orphanage to watch him and monitor his temperature and call if he got worse. My heart ached when I had to leave him there so sick. As I went to lay him down before we had to leave I remembered that the God is a healer and our comforter and said a quiet prayer for the child. The next day as we returned to the orphanage I was greeted by his sweet smiling face and hands reaching up for me to hold him. His fever had broken and he was doing much better!!! To God be the glory!! We spent the rest of the day there holding children and teaching them songs. It was such a beautiful day.

As we returned home, we were greeted by the translator who works with the Hanley’s in Jimani and the young sick baby from the Batey and his mother!! It was a great evening spent holding the young child so his mother could rest from her travels. It is a great comfort to know that God holds this baby in his hands and loves him more than I or his mother ever could!! Keep praying for this baby, his mother, and the doctor that they will see on Monday. Pray that the mother will find peace and rest in God’s grace, that the baby will be free from pain and be able to rest with minimal seizure activity, and that the doctor will have the knowledge to know what to do to help this young family. God holds them in his hands and it is only through him that this baby will be healed.

While here in Haiti our group has been conducting a bible study on the book Radical by David Platt. I highly recommend this book. It will challenge you in so many ways in your walk with God and the way you view life. I just want to share a quote from this book that touched me this past week. “The message of biblical Christianity is not ‘God loves me, period,’ as if we were the object of our own faith. The message of biblical Christianity is ‘God loves me so that I might make him—his ways, his salvation, and his greatness—known among all nations.” “Because he is owned by Christ, he owes Christ to the world.” God has challenged me through reading this to never be afraid to proclaim his name and tell others how he has impacted my life and how he can impact theirs for the better. Because I am a follow of Jesus Christ, I owe it to the world to share my faith with them. Here in Haiti I can hold a sick baby, rock a young child to sleep, and provide them all with clean water and food, but the only thing that is going to matter on an eternal perspective is sharing the love of Christ with them. God’s love is the only thing that has the power to change their life completely!!

My thoughts and prayers are with all of you that are reading this blog. I pray God’s hand of blessing over you. Remember our group here, the young sick baby and his mother, and the whole country of Haiti in your prayers. God has it all under control and it is only through him that this country will reach it’s full potential. I love you all!! 

Love and Prayers,

Brittany

Hello, from Port-Au-Prince, Haiti!! :)

These past 3 days have been absolutely amazing!! I can not express into words the joy of my heart to FINALLY be back!! God has moved in amazing ways just to get me here and now that I am here I know that he will continue to move and work in every little thing that we do here to glorify him!!

Monday, the 18th, is when I arrived, and oh what a crazy day that was!! We had delays at the airport costing us some valuable time and some rushing to get to our connecting flight in Miami in time, but it all worked and we landed in Haiti with no issues!! BUT! Apparently so did EVERYONE else! The airport was NUTS! So many people with a power outage at the airport, meant absolute chaos!! However, we made it through and finally got all our luggage and headed to meet our group! Seeing all of the amazing people I met here in March was SO overwhelming. My heart and mind could not comprehend that I was actually back! We spent the rest of the day getting settled in and going over logistical stuff about what would be going on during our time here.

Tuesday was a very, very eventful day. We woke up early and began to run errands for Chadasha the organization that I am working with while I am here. It was unreal seeing all the sites of Haiti as we drove from one spot to the other. It continually breaks my heart seeing all of the heartbreaking situations, but makes me appreciate my time here even more and pushes me when days get long and physical and spiritual fatigue sets in. God has reminded me these past few days that no matter what this physical life brings for the people of Haiti, the only thing that will truly matter and make the lasting difference in their life is if they are shown the love, mercy, and grace of Jesus Christ. HE alone is the only way to truly change Haiti. To bring hope to these people, and show them love just as Jesus did is my heart's deepest desire. It is hard... Harder than I ever imagined. I have never, ever felt such compassion for a people that I barely know! It's an amazing thing that I  am so grateful for every single day.

Once we finished our errands we went to both the Children's Home and Guerline's Orphanage, both of which you will hear a lot about and I hope once I return I can share with you the story of how both of these places came into being. The Children's home is a holding place for orphans who are being adopted. These children are so loving and reach for you as soon as you get out of the vehicle. They are some of the most precious children I have ever met and it just fills my heart with joy that they are soon going to have loving parents who can love on them and show them how much God does love each and every one of them. I immediately fell in love with a young baby named Naomi. She came to the home very malnourished and in need of some serious love and tender care. The minute I got to hold her, she stole my heart. Her sweet smile and beautiful eyes just pierced straight through me to my core. I had to walk away for a few minutes to contain myself. It was then that God reminded me that this is why I am here. To show love and compassion to HIS creation, HIS people, HIS country, HIS nation, HIS world. I alone can not make a difference in the country of Haiti, but I alone with God's mercy and grace can make a difference one child at a time. My heart was overwhelmed and I new that going to Guerline's orphanage was only going to pull on those heart strings even more!!

Guerline's orphanage was a tent orphanage in City Soleil one of the worst areas of Haiti. These children have been through some unbelievable things and have witnessed so much destruction in their short lifetimes. As soon as I walked through the gate, over 70 children were standing there for me to love on!! It was SO amazing. I had young children tugging at my shirt and others raising their arms for me to hold them. I had so many that I had to periodically put one down and grab another!! It was a beautiful thing! God's love was in each of those little faces staring back at me that day, and even though we couldn't have much conversation because of the language barrier, facial expressions said it all.

In God's word, he calls us to be go and teach the gospel to the ends of the earth and make disciples of ALL nations. Before my experience with Haiti I could not fathom any of that, but now, I not only understand, but feel very compelled to do just that... Go... Wherever he calls me. Whether that his here in Haiti, or somewhere else, my heart's deepest desire is to show others the love and mercy that God has shown me in my life. I never want to fail to be a light for his glory!!

Prayers people. Prayers are needed in the worst way. Haiti is a nation FULL of needs, but only one person can supply those needs and meet them all, and that is Jesus!! Pray for all of us here that every step we take, every word we speak, and every move we make will be a light to the people of Haiti to bring them one step closer to accepting Jesus into their life. In the end, that is the only thing that will change this place!!

Love and Prayers,
Brittany