not for us

I’m so thankful for some of the unique opportunities raising the girls in Haiti allows.  Yesterday, we all piled in the truck with Maria and Elisa (our good friends from college who arrived yesterday morning), and drove an hour to a children’s home.  We’re friends with the couple who own the kids’ home, where they currently have 60 children under 3 years old. 

Almost 100% of their children come in because of extreme malnourishment or medical emergencies.  The home tries to help these kids return to good health, whether that means a few months of good food, working towards medical visas for major surgeries (like heart deformities or brain tumors), helping with surgeries, etc. 

Then, the kids’ home tries to return the children to their original homes, or if the situation in the home is so desperate that the family is sure that the child will simply return to his or her original state, the family can choose to release the child to the children’s home, who immediately starts working to find adoptive families. 

We all drove out yesterday for a fall party, and Lily was THRILLED beyond belief to find a playground.  A real playground.  And kids.  Lots of kids.  We were happy to meet several other younger missionaries from this children’s home and from an orphanage in town.  While there weren’t any other kids there who spoke English, Lily had a blast none-the-less. 

It has also given us some good conversations with Lily, with each other and with God about this world, and why things are the way they are, and how to see things with His heart.

The children in the most heart-breaking states were in a small room together, completely emaciated little stick children with wide knees and large heads.  I’ve never seen such starving children, all new to the children’s home and on the brink of death.  Even more shocking was to see these little ones stand up and toddle around, or crawl all over the place, when upon first sight you would be confident they were only a few weeks old due to their size.

“Mommy?” Lily asked me.  “Those kids are sick, huh.  So they have to stay inside?”

“Yeah, hunnie.”

“We need to pray for them?” she kept asking. 

Two more things I’ll never forgot:

As I was talking to  another woman, I was holding Sofie while she was babbling and drooling and grinning.  A third woman walked up holding a tiny little baby, maybe 4 or 5 weeks old, with lots of little fuzz and an adorable grin.  She was holding “Ruff” the same way I was holding Sofie, side-by-side. 

“How old is this cutie?” the woman asked me. 

“Five months,” I smiled down at squirmy Sofie.

“Oh,” she said, “I was just wondering where Ruff stood.”

“Why? How old is he?” I asked, grinning back at his adorable face.

“Seven months” she said, and I swear, all I could think was, “You must be lying.  That’s just not possible.” 

I mean, Ruff was a third of the size of Sofie.  ITTY BITTY.  And over 2 months older.  My mouth went dry and suddenly Sofie seemed huge.  And healthy.  And as I found out later, surrounding by children who had been exposed to measles.  I started worrying about Sofie who hasn’t had her MMR vaccine, and yet here were 60 other little ones living in the midst. 

Later, I followed Lily as she went from new toy to new toy, a trail of toddlers following after us and playing on whatever Lily wanted to play on.  I took a seat on a bench while Lil and a group of adorable kiddos played on a teeter-totter, but quickly moved my feet, realizing that a huge swarm of fire ants were devouring a few greasy grains of rice someone had dropped off their lunch plate. 

A round little boy sitting next to me saw me jerk my feet away, and looked down to see the 14-15 grains of rice and the hundreds of fire ants carrying them away through the dirt. 

“UH!” he mumbled quickly and dove off the bench, attracting near-by boys who fled from Lily’s side to my feet, all diving for each small piece of rice, completely ignoring the stinging red ants crawling up their sticky fingers. 

“No, no, guys,” I told them quickly.  “That rice is SO dirty and look at all these ants!”

But it was too late, and they did not care.

 I’ll never, as long as I live, forget seeing those little hands darting out after each little grain, shoving rice and fire ants and dirt alike into their anxious mouths.  Their round bellies and dimpled cheeks showed that they were no longer starving.  But their actions showed that they had been…and already at such a young age, they know to eat what you find when you can as fast as you can, before someone else does.

Heartbreaking.  Lily, clean and round and unknowing of what hunger even is, now standing by my side, watching the whole thing and asking me to explain.  Heartbreaking.

As I said Wednesday, there is SO much to do in the world.  So much of His love to give and so many people to share it with.  I’m thankful that the God who sees each sparrow rise and fall and who clothes each flower is close to these little ones, their loving Father.  He knows each inside and out, fearfully and wonderfully made them, and sent His Son for them each.  He knows who they are and who He made them to be, He knows what He made them to do.

All I could tell Lily was all I could tell myself.

This world is not for us, is it.  We are not here in this world for ourselves.  We have been sent for others…Just as He was, and the world is waiting for what we have.  Let us be urgent.

Yet again…Christ in us, the Hope of Glory.

limitless confidence

Yesterday we kicked off the EBS Women's Bible Study : Christian Character.  The highlight was just sitting (and sweating) around the table with all the female cooks, housecleaners, secretaries and students.   With women from 18-60, no education to a master's candidate, from all over Haiti, with all different giftings and passions, it was exciting to realize as we sang our opening hymn that we were sisters.

As I tried to share my Bible with Roselore, I quickly realized that she could not read, embarrassed that I may have embarrassed her.  Then there was Rosejezula busting out some Greek...one of our biggest challenges may just be staying together!  It was challenging to study God's Word together when several participants were unable to READ God's Word!  Pray for me as I work to find ways to "study" verses in an oral, repetitive fashion instead of saying, "What do we see in verse 18?"

We began the base of this 12 week study on Christian Character with Romans, discussing how we are "Freed to Serve God", though none of us were found righteous, no, not one.  We spoke about His justification, and about things that still seek to enslave us, though we are now justified and free.  The women had tons to contribute and the hour flew by all too fast, followed by a few minutes to pray for and with each other.

Please be praying for this study and for wisdom and creativity on my part as I seek to facilitate.  My "plan" is to lead this Christian Character study these 12 weeks, and then ask who would like to lead the next study after...there is no reason why I need to be at the reigns with women who have followed the Lord, many, their whole lives.

Meanwhile, I am heartbroken over the women who have loved Jesus for years and have hidden His Word in their hearts, but who must be dependent upon others to receive it due to illiteracy.  There just seems to be NO END to all of the ways one could minister here...I'd love to start teaching them to read!  But unless the Lord unexpectedly gives me the gift of "no sleep needed", I just cannot do one more thing!  (remind me of this!)

On another note, we have two friends and one visiting professor (who is also our friend, of course! :) coming tomorrow, then another VP and another friend on Sunday.  Our third VP who was set to teach on Monday cancelled at the last moment, so it's been a busy time trying to re-schedule and register all the students with other courses!

We had a great service in chapel today in which a VERY nervous Junior (1000th time preaching, but first time preaching in chapel to his peers) shared from 2 Peter 1 about what holiness looks like.  It was a great, practical and challenging message, and I was blessed to hear the Lord put on his heart to share some of the same issues that Matt and I have been praying for regarding the students...and ourselves!  Junior is just such an ernest, passionate and humble man that I love to hear the Word through his lens.

The Lord has done some pretty neat things this week to encourage our hearts, and I am so thankful.

My O. Chambers reading from the other day asked this:  Am I abandoning the great supernatural position of limitless confidence in Christ Jesus, which is really God's only call for a missionary?


As life and all it brings has passed this week, I keep finding myself asking "What would unlimited confidence in Christ look like in this situation?"

I have fallen short in most cases, but in the rare moments where I was utterly abandoned to trust in Him, the process to His faithfulness was much sweeter.

He is good.

a prayer for quietness of heart

Give me, O Lord

that quietness of heart

that makes the most of labor and of rest.

Save me from passionate excitement,

petulant fretfulness and idle fear,

keeping me ever in the restful presence of your love.

Teach me to be alert and wise in all responsibilities,

without hurry and without neglect.

Tame and rule my tongue,

that I may not transgress your law of love.

When others censure, may I seek your image in others,

judging with charity, as one who will be judged.

Banish envy and hatred from my thoughts.

Help me to be content amid the strife of tongues,

with my unspoken thought.

When anxious cares threaten my peace,

help me to run to You,

that I may find my rest

and be made strong

for calm endurance and valiant service.

amen

W. Lewis of Milan

because of love.

I'm not sure how to share this without getting too specific and boring you all to death, but it's too good not to share.

Matt knew coming back that a major confrontation had to happen upon his arrival, so we thoroughly anticipated yesterday being a rough day.  And it was...for two hours he and a friend/employee tried to work through several major issues that have been mounting for months.  They could NOT get on the same page, were both becoming more and more heated, and finally, both lost their cool, something that happens VERY rarely with Matt.

Matt immediately apologized for losing his temper, and dejectedly hung his head in his hands, confident that there was no other place to go in this relationship.  It was finished.  There was nothing else he could do.  However, before the friend left, Matt tried one last approach.   Love.  

"If this stuff was happening with just anyone, I wouldn't even care," Matt told the man.  "This is so important, and so heartbreaking, because it's YOU.  YOU are my friend.  I love you.  And these circumstances have abolished all trust, which in turn greatly diminishes our relationship.  And because I love you, this is heartbreaking."

They talked another thirty minutes, and by the time they finished, things were "good enough", patched together and function-able.  But Matt came home with no joy or hope over the conversation, and our evening was full of tears over sin and selfishness, expectations and disappointments, a lost friendship and perhaps a work relationship that needed terminated.  There was nothing much I could say to encourage Matt, and throughout the night I prayed that God might still somehow work in the situation, though it seemed to be closed.

Blessing one...Lucner, though incredibly busy and finally home with his wife and baby, having overheard the argument earlier, called Matt around 8 pm, just to see if he was ok.  (Note to self...these little things, just five minutes of effort, but often overlooked, can transform a person.  DO it!)

Matt tossed and turned all night, sick over the lost friend, broken situation, unfruitful confrontation and generally dejected in ministry here.  

But at 7 am, that same man showed up at our door, looking equally terrible.  

"I couldn't sleep all night.  All this time that you have been trying to tell me these things, and I have never listened.  And I didn't listen yesterday.  I said some terrible, awful things.  And then you told me about your love for me, and I realized for the first time that this whole time you have truly cared about ME.  You haven't been upset about how I've been acting because you want to bring me down, or to hurt me or to trick me, as I had thought. And that changes everything.  I have said and done so many terrible things, and I am SO SORRY.  I am just sick this morning, more sick than I have ever felt.  Please, won't you forgive me?  Please!"

I'm not a crier, but man, seeing these two haggard men embrace this morning in our doorway, transformed by love, I was fighting back tears.

What a beautiful picture of His love.  

He tries to show us how to live, to tell us which way to go.  He tries to bring us closer and closer to Him through holiness.  He tries to give us discipline, and we reject it, buck it, hold firm to our own understanding.  We are sure that He isn't out for our own good, but is out to ruin us, or to harm us.  We're sure that we know what is best for us, and that we need to look out for our own good.

And then, in brief and beautiful and heartbreaking moments, He makes us realize that all of these things He is asking for in us isn't to box us in, or to harm us, but to give us hope and freedom and a future.  It is because of His LOVE for us, His great love.  

And it is that great love that transforms us.  That melts our stubborn hearts.  That changes our perspective.  That takes us from arrogant hot heads into humble and repentant children.  

I'm so incredibly thankful for this miracle of His love in Matt's life, and am so incredibly thankful for the reminder of HIS unwavering love for me...in how many ways am I subconsciously today resisting that transforming love?  

It's why we're His, it's why we're able to be Holy, and it's why we're here.

because of love.

American/Haitian/His.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but soon, face to face;

now I know in part, but soon I will know fully

just as I also have been fully known.

1 Corinthians 13:12

These past two weeks have been interesting, making me realize what a weird situation we live in daily!

We grew up in America around Americans, and therefore have many American mindsets and cultural "norms" built into our DNA.  We've lived in Haiti for five years now, and find that we have not only added many Haitian cultural norms to our personal culture, but have even replaced some.  So today we find that we have a unique cultural DNA.

When we're in the States, we feel weird.  When we're here, we feel weird.  No situation ever feels 100% "normal" any more, and then we throw our girls into the mix, who are both growing up in Haiti, with 98% of their friends and daily acquaintances being Haitian, in a semi-American home to semi-Americans.

These past two weeks, Matt was in the States but traveling and living with Haitians, and I was here, but with my American dad and sister living with me.  And with new Canadian neighbors :)

To top it all off, both our worlds have proven to be largely secular, without-god cultures, and we have both taken on an entirely new and different Christ-culture, changing the way we see and experience and believe things, all the more.

Having so many visitors in the house while I was so sick was really hard for my sister...and by the end of the week, really hard for me!

However, a good friend did not come and see me when I was sick (as I had thought I wished everyone would do) and I was genuinely hurt.

When Lisa and I were driving to town on Friday we saw something really painful, and saw a group of young children laughing at it...and instead of being appalled as I would have been years before, I found a sense of cultural understanding: life is too painful and has been far too ugly for small children to accept, and thus the cultural norm of laughing at misfortune or heartbreak is born.

But when a group at Wesley shared a presentation and were rather "ripped up" by their professor, Matt was surprised that all four of his Haitian classmates were laughing hilariously.

Having the man behind them in Starbucks say some rude and hurtful things (rather normal in any culture, I guess) to Luke and Vilmer about "how things are done in America" was really painful and embarrassing for Matt, but at the airport in Cap-Haitien when dozens of people were fighting Matt for his suitcase, Matt was quite at ease.

In the jumble of it all, I am so thankful that I am not at the mercy of any culture, nor must be defined by any.  I am happy to be well-grounded and identified in Him as His, belittling the importance of "cultural" norms and where I am from.

We should be strange here...not because we're Americans seeking our American culture, but because we are His and seeking His.  And we should be strange in the States because we look like Christ, who I'm pretty sure never looked too "American".  And as we work in both cultures AS both cultures, we always want and need to have people in our lives who share our Host Culture: Christ.

Very thankful to have people like that here and there and everywhere.

Once again, as we struggled these past weeks with "what we are" and "what is normal", our peace has come from what He describes as His 'normal' in His Word and as He describes how we are to act, respond, live and think, regardless of country.  We'd be lost without it!

Prayers for the Week:
   -continued healing for Matt and I both
   -a great return and re-dedication to Biblical study for our students
   -my women's Bible study begins THURSDAY on Christian Character!
   -the 2 weeks away helped Matt identify some changes that need to be made...praying for strength and wisdom as he does so!
   -for Lily, who is struggling with Grandpa in and out, Lisa in and out, Dad being gone for two weeks...instability
   -for the 6 visiting professors and/or friends coming in this weekend to help at EBS!

news

The bad news is...

...after 3 sick days and 1 great day and 1 fantastic day at the pool, Aunt Lisa, Lily's "very best friend", is gone.

Good news is...Matt is safely home (and quite sick).  Praise the Lord for family here while Matt was away, for bringing him home safely, and for being so Faithful to the girls and I in Matt's absence.  Praying for a quick recovery for Matt...because school (and better blogging :) starts Monday!

Oh man.  I have been one sick chick.  Turns out a lot of prayer, iv fluids, antibiotics and another 36 hours was just what I needed...I am FINALLY feeling better tonight, and will try to take on eating something tomorrow...not sure if I've EVER been so sick.

PRAISING THE LORD for your prayers, for my amazing sister who has done baby duty, dish duty, fixed our washing machine, princess duty, cooking, answering the door (cultural note: absolutely EVERYONE comes to see you continuously whenever you are sick, so that you know they love you.  we feel the love.) and for the McCluskey's, who have helped with meals and errands and making sure we're making it over here!

sent

Today was one of the hardest days of, well, a really long time!  I woke up sick, feeling like I had food poisoning, but convinced myself that we were GOING to the airport to get Aunt Lisa!  Junior went with me (Lord, thank you for putting this on my dad's heart to insist that Junior went, too!)   Her flight was a few hours late, and by the time we had Lisa, I was really struggling physically.

Junior doesn't have a driver's license, and my sister can't drive stick, so I had to keep on!  On our way home, approaching a major point in town, I saw literally thousands of people rioting.   (Would have been good to know that today is a major national holiday...prone to political rioting).

It came up so quickly that I wasn't sure what to do, but mobs of angry people filled the street ahead.  I was blocked in on all sides by other cars and rioting in front.  At the wheel trying to quickly decide what to do, feeling terrible, with the three most precious girls in my life in the car with me...I was so tempted to fear.  But He met me in that temptation and was strong.

I praise the Lord because He gave me the wisdom to pray and ask for guidance, and while Junior said to push through the crowd and assured me that they'd let me through, I did not feel like that was the right thing.  There were SO MANY cars and motorcycles and people around me, that I'm not sure how I did it, but I did a u-turn right there and booked out of there, though now totally unsure of how to get out of this part of town and back home.

In the whole massive throng, I know it was the Lord that directed me to one man...just some 20-something man hanging off the back of a tap-tap.  A MILLION faces, and as I scanned the crowd and asked the Lord for help, this man and I locked gazes, and he motioned for me to follow him.

"Don't follow him," Junior said, "it might be a trick."

I stopped my swirling head and prayed again, and I said, "Junior, I really think the Lord sent me that man."

So I followed him.  In and out of tiny back streets, back and forth, places I've never been and places that didn't have a great spirit.  But the Lord helped me truly not to fear, and all of the sudden, we were on the road home, all the trouble behind us.  I don't know how we even got there, but that man kept motioning this way and that to me, even blocking crowds at time to allow me through, I followed everything he told me to do, and suddenly, we were on our road.

We made it home, praising the Lord, and BAM, I was SO SICK.  Since the moment we got home I have been unable to even scrape myself off the floor, vomiting every sip of water I try to take.

While I HATE that my poor sister has had to entirely take care of my girls all day, fix their meals, answer the door, etc...I do NOT KNOW what I would have done if she weren't here!  For the first time since Lily was born, I have been physically incapable of taking care of my girls at all, and here is my sister.

Needless to say, it has been a God day.  I am so thankful to be His child, for His good gifts, and for His voice...and for sending that man, and Lisa, right when I needed them.

An awesome new toy Aunt Lisa brought a very Aunt Smitten Lily...

...and an Aunt-Smitten-Sofie.

goats, friends and the harvest

Having these two weeks off school (and having Dad's extra set of hands) has given us more time in the community, too.   Yesterday morning we visited several good friends, and went to see "Oreo's" new baby goats.  

Sofie and Kevins are only 3 weeks apart, but he is beating her in chub and in hair!  It was wonderful to be able to catch up with lots of friends in Saccanville, and Lily REALLY had a good time making new little friends and playing in the mud and with all the goats, chickens, dogs, cats...

We also had good time here at home with Grandpa, with Dodo and Bubba...

...and with Junior, Civil, Fanfan, Belony, and other staff and students as they are using the campus as "ministry headquarters."  If this was a women's university, we would have a lot less dinner guests :)

Junior, Belony, and a box of Bibles headed out yesterday morning to Yolene's church community, and met up with 11 other students.  They all then joined with member's of Yolene's church plant and broke into three groups, going throughout the entire area, preaching the Gospel.  

"I'm not going to lie to you," a very weary Junior and rather down-trodden Belony told me upon their return.  "It was a really hard day.  It was like EVERY person we met wanted to fight with us.  One long debate after another, everyone had so many arguments.  Some days, it seems like everyone is interested in Jesus, and today it seemed like NO one was...everyone was interested in being told that nothing needs changed."

One woman argued that she never had sinned, therefore had no need of Jesus.  Many argued that they pray to demons and spirits, Jesus, God and Satan, and that it didn't matter who you spoke or committed to, as long as you were committed.  Lots of people felt that a commitment to the saints was the same as a commitment to Jesus.

As Belo and Junior revealed conversations from the day, I found myself uncertain about what the right response to varying debates should be!  These were hard issues, hard arguments.  "What did Brave SAY when he said that?" I kept asking, or "How did Jasmine respond to that kind of an argument?"

As Junior and Belony told me what each of the students had said in response to each debate, I quickly felt as if I had been to church.  AMEN, I kept thinking.  Hah, YES...that's it.  Ah, what a relevant Scripture to bring in at that point....YES, way to go, Benjamin....that IS the truth!  Amen!

While the guys were exhausted and a bit discouraged in the retelling by people's responses to the Gospel, I was invigorated, thrilled and blessed by the students' presentation of the Gospel!  THEY HAVE GOT IT!  What Matt and I came to Haiti to do, to accurately teach leaders the Gospel so that they could take its' transforming message throughout Haiti, has happened, is happening.  

We tend to get so frustrated by the immediate picture that we haven't seen the big picture like I did yesterday.  A student threatened another student, and had to be expelled.  Failure.  No matter how big the portions are, a small group of students continue to gripe that they aren't served enough food.  Failure.  We want the seminary to have a high academic standard, and half the first year class didn't even know the books of the Bible.  Failure.  By OUR standards.

And yet here this evangelism day yesterday and the fluency, accuracy and passion with which the students were able to boldly present the whole Gospel in the face of persecution, ridicule and worldly thinking...Success...By His.  

To encourage Belony and Junior, I told them again that they weren't responsible for how the Gospel was accepted, for people's responses, or for conversions.  They weren't responsible for what kind of soil the Seed fell upon.  They were responsible to give it.  To preach it, and they had.

As they drug themselves back to their dorms for a well deserved rest, holding my hands and affirming, "Yes, Sister.  You are right...praise the Lord"...I realized that this same message was for my encouragement, as well.

I feel so blessed and encouraged to be used by Him, to give the Gospel...unresponsible for how the students accept or apply it.  It is He who cares for the harvest...and He is. 

Praise the Lord...

p.s...11 new brothers and sisters joined us in His Kingdom yesterday!

one of the crazies

WHEW.  What. A. Day.

At any given moment today, there was one screaming-bloody-murder or teary-whiny-fussy infant or toddler, someone at the door, a ringing phone, bread or a pot pie or a roast in the oven, a student that needed help...man...it was just a crazy, GO GO GO relentless day.  I am SO thankful Dad is here, or you would have found me in a corner crying by noon!  My brain was so numb just from working in two languages literally every moment today that I found myself talking to dad in Creole this evening and confused about why he was just staring at me.

However, now that it is over and I'm literally falling asleep at my desk, there were a LOT of GREAT things today...

Maxi, Dad and Abel, a dear relationship that has formed over the years.  Very thankful for these men, for the unity they have in Christ, and for an unexpected and powerful "break-through" conversation I was able to have with Abel this evening.

 Friends.  Shayla, Kerline and Max are three of my best friends, not "in Haiti," but in life right now.  I'm so thankful for these three, and this afternoon was particularly blessed by the way a very fussy, tired, dad-sick, stuffy Lily transformed into her joyful, gleeful self just a few minutes after their arrival.  I can be myself with these friends, they are real with me, they love our girls, and having them in our lives greatly improves our lives.

 Baby Gertha.  While she still hasn't been given a name, 'Baby Gertha' is just beautiful and wonderfully healthy and such a joy.  Gertha was just beaming that first-time-new-mom smile this morning, and I am so grateful to see this little miracle unfold.

 Lily had a blast with baby Gertha, too, though she was very discouraged that Sofia and baby Gertha didn't hit it off better, because apparently they are "suppose to be friends!"

 More friends.  Noel and Micheline went with us this morning to visit Gertha (and insisted that fussy Sofie was fussy Sofie because she was too hot, and therefore took off her clothes, all the while bundling Baby Gertha.)  These three women are a great joy and encouragement to me, and time with them is good time.  So grateful for these true and transparent relationships.  Plus, we could not have made the steep hike to Gertha's house with Lily, Sofie, and three boxes of baby clothes and diapers without their help :)

Also, praise the Lord, Dodo and Bubba (Dorothy and John McC.) arrived safely today and are sound asleep next door...YAY for friends next door!

End of the day...Matt is doing well in Jackson, we've had sweet time with dad/grandpa, we have help, I've been especially touched by the transforming power relationship has in our lives, and I am richly blessed this evening to realize that in the midst of a million tasks and people today, a handful of His children that I came to minister to minister instead to me...on the good days and on the crazies!

Gertha had a little girl at 1 am this morning and is now home.  I haven't seen her yet, but she said this morning that she is good and the baby (no name yet) is good, and wow, I am just praising the Lord for another miracle!  We'll go see her this afternoon and get some pictures!  Praise the Lord!

prayers and beach

First things first....

Lily and Sof with Gertha, friend and nanny.

Please be praying with us continually for Gertha and her baby.  She called at 7 this morning and was bleeding.  She went to a nearby clinic, who with no information and no treatment, sent her several hours later to the main hospital downtown.  She is there now with minimal pain but continued bleeding, and each time I ask what the doctor's are saying, she says, "nothing."

She is concerned, I am concerned...the baby is expected to come in October.  Please join us in praying.

Also, Micheline has had several people die of cholera in her area the past 10 days...her rumor is that "it's back."  Please be praying that this strain is squelched by "over-care" in how everyone is cooking and drinking right away...

We had a good time at the beach, though electrical/water/mosquito issues and colds for all three of us girls brought us home a bit more worn out than we had hoped today.  SO glad my dad is here and thankful for a rare day away from normal life!

Matt and the guys are safely in Jackson and enjoying their first day of classes today!

Liked ice cream like her momma...