love

This was the first year that I didn't have a cute Valentine's picture of the girls mailed out to family already.  It was also the first year that I got no Valentine's picture of them whatsoever.

Tonight is also our first night in the last 36 consecutive days to have no visitors in our home (oh, dear visitors, you know how much we love you and appreciate you...but this evening was SO relaxing!)  I got home safely Friday, spent much of Saturday in the office, doing laundry, and catching up with Matt and the girls and our retreat speaker, Dr. Lake, and this morning was our first ever Emmaus Sunday at Discipleship Church, and tomorrow residential courses begin...back to teaching!

So....I'm giving myself some grace over the Valentine's picture.

I DID get all of these...

So thankful Charles could be our retreat speaker this year, and got back to Emmaus with us for a few days.  He has become a dear friend and wise counsel.  Very grateful for him in our life!!  

(Side Note: Dr. Charles Lake and Matt's book, "Holy is a Four Letter Word" comes out next month!  Unlike "Salvation in Fresh Perspective", which was written for pastors and students of theology, "Holy" was co-written for laypeople...like ME without a dictionary.  I'm so excited to get my hands on it!  I'll have more news once it's released.)

So our first ever Emmaus Sunday was a huge success.  Basically, about 15 of our students and 10 of our staff members all went together to one church, and led the entire service, including worship, prayer, preaching, etc.  It was great for our EBS community, was a blessing to Discipleship Church, was a great way to help recruit new potential students, and today it even included Phida sharing her testimony, which was fantastic!

Belony preached the main sermon...

and Matt did the pastoral prayer...which today also included a mini-sermon on Gideon and calling.  So good :)

Nora and Esdras, Belo's cutie, weren't into it as much as everyone else :)

Last night we scouted out a new place in Cap-Haitian that's had rave reviews on Haiti expat FB groups, and even if the food had been terrible (and it WASN'T)...they had MILKSHAKES.  

I mean, we're sold.  Milkshakes.  Real ones.  Real Milkshakes.  

I'm still in shock.

I took these on my way through town yesterday, and will never cease being amazed by how much LIFE is happening in every snap-shot second of Haiti.  

It's a hard time in Haiti right now.  Everything is flooded, We are now president-less, and people are frustrated, disappointed, angry, dismayed.   And yet, when the retreat child-care couple asked the kids to each talk about their favorite thing in Haiti, Lily's response was : "Everything.  Haiti is perfect."

Life goes on, complicated is part of it, and at the end of the day, hard as it may be, Haitians love their country.  And so do we.  And so does He.

Thankful no one is giving up on Haiti, following His example.

Uncle Don (who is coming on Tuesday, Whop-Whop!) and Aunt Brenda sent the girls this cool fort kit for Christmas, and they decided the more the merrier...as long as you're a girl.

It's no Valentine's Day picture...but it's life!

Tomorrow is a big day...girls back to school, us back in the classroom, students back to residential courses, first day of the Beautiful Feet program (I'm calling it :),  and one week to finish preparing for EBS Board Meetings, to be held on campus next week!!  

Thank you for your beautiful prayers!