homes

What a crazy shift in such a crazy short time!  A week ago we were on an island in the middle of the Caribbean, and today the kids were a vet, a nurse and a gymnastics coach for career day in Mississippi :)  

We have all been dragging a bit...it was an intense two weeks and a long trip. We were talking to Sarah Douglas this evening and she finally said, "aren't you just exhausted?" and I realized that we are! 

The sweetest part of our time was sitting down with every single staff member and talking through their praises and their prayers and to pray with them. As I mopped the house today, I was praying for Leme, for Claudin, for Granny, retracing their words from just a few days ago and lifting up all the things only He can do anything about. I realized that somewhere over the course of the last two weeks, we've got from being stuck in the middle to being at home in two places.

We cleaned and worked and sorted and gave away and bagged up so much, and Leme and Gess and precious Yasha moved back into "our home"...this time without our clothes in the closet. This time without our leftovers in the fridge. This time without our toothpaste on the sink.

We're no longer in the middle.

I thought that would mean somehow simply being in one place now, but here we are...and it doesn't. 

We're no longer in the middle, but we sure are in two places. Just like we were when we moved to Haiti.

Maybe that makes us in three? 

I don't even know.

I do know it brings me joy to see the kids at home in so many places...to hear them chattering in two different languages with precious children from so many walks to of life. I do know it makes me rich to have dear and precious and genuine family in our lives in many places. I know He has been so good and faithful.

I do know that as He has filled our hearts and hands and He just seems to keep making room.  

So instead of trying to choose sides, I'm going to try to be huge.  

I'm just going to try to have a heart as big as He does. I'm going to try to love the people He has brought and is bringing into our lives well. I'm going to stop worrying about where home is and just be home-heavy while this world is not my home. 

I'm going to be thankful He picks our places and our people, and that instead of breaking us, He allows us to grow and be stretched!

Last Sunday, 50+ churches and some 7000+ people came together in downtown Cap-Haitian to praise the Lord for His protection in 2020, and it was such an exciting way to finish our trip this time in Haiti... I wanted to share these pictures...It was such a joy these two weeks in Haiti to see God at work, and this was such an awesome example for me of how He is at work through Emmaus!

What an honor it was last Sunday night to be a part of a 50+ church partnered night of thanksgiving!! By the end of the evening, over 7000 people packed the road in downtown Cap-Haitian, and the worship team at Emmaus led the crowd in praising the Lord for the amazing ways that He has protected Haiti in this pandemic. Emmaus President Dr. Guenson Charlot preached at nightfall, a powerful word on God’s great grace in our lives.

Not only did our staff, students, and alumni have the opportunity to sing and pray and share that Gospel message “on the rooftops”, but thousands of believers and bystanders had the opportunity to hear the Gospel message and to reflect on God at work in their lives!

The rocks will not be left to cry out in Northern Haiti, friends