foolishness.

Uncle Don did something really dumb last night.

And the worst part is, it's becoming a pattern.  Uncle Don doing senseless things.

Yeah, my day was incredibly full, too.  But Don mixed and poured 85 loads of cement into a huge canal-d bathroom floor in the hot men's dorm.  Like, ALL day.  By hand.

And before he even finished, the girls and I decided (it may have mostly been me) we HAD to have Pioneer Woman's Homemade Cinnamon Bread.  So we started it around 3, which if you've ever made homemade bread, is way too late.  But these cravings.

So we dirtied a ridiculous amount of pots and bowls and measuring cups, went all out, did the thing right, doubled the batch, and the dough was still rising through dinner.  A few more dirty dishes, and the loaves were set to rise after dinner.  Girls to bath and bed and I was exhausted.  I laid down, and by the time the piping hot fragrant loaves came out of the oven, it was almost 10 pm.  And they still had to be cooled and sliced before the night was through.

My kitchen, of course, was a hurricane of sweet and sticky, with enough dishes piled up to represent a four-course meal.  And I just. couldn't. do it.  It was such a long day, and I was done.  

I left them for tomorrow, dreaming that tomorrow would not be busy and I would be full of energy and the ants and rats wouldn't have taken over.

Somewhere in there, Don came home from watching a movie with the team next door, MORE than ready, I am sure, to fall into well-deserved bed.  He is a WORK horse and nothing less, and I KNOW he did the work of 3 men yesterday.

But when I sleepily tiptoe out to the kitchen at 11 to slice and bag that finally finished project, there was not ONE speck of cinnamon on my counters, not ONE dirty (or clean) dish to be seen, NOTHING but two big beautiful loaves of cinnamon bread.  

Uncle Don.

How insane of him was that?  Totally nonsensical.  

Kind of like leaving his business for 2 weeks and all of the work and profit he would have earned to work his rear-end off down here in the blazing sun for.....NOTHING.  Negative income.  

Kind of like him doing that every semester since 2008.  

Kind of like his family choosing to barely make it by financially instead of being comfy financially because of the months and years of his life he's given to nonsensical, unprofitable service to the Lord.  

Kind of like Aunt Brenda, warming their frozen pipes with a hair dryer by herself at 3 am in Jersey, because she sent Don to make NO money with a bucket-load of Easter surprises for the girls, just to love us and help us and serve us.

Like Don standing in our kitchen alone at night after a crazy long day, washing dishes he didn't dirty for food that he didn't eat in a kitchen that isn't his at an absurd hour because of a crazy pregnant lady.

Who was in bed.

Sometimes, living at a seminary, married to a Matt, I truthfully joke about how little I know, what a dumb blonde I am.  

But when I think about how crazy our Jesus was, how stupid so much of what he did must have seemed to the world, how senseless even his greatest act of love was to all human common sense, and when I SEE Don, dumbly and sacrificially loving the same way...pouring a gorgeous bathroom with perfectionism for a bunch of threadbare Haitian pastors who can give him nothing, doing dishes for a couple of young-ish foreigners who can give him nothing and who are in bed...I WANT to be foolish like him.

Like Him.

Living God at Work

Good morning!

So many little updates, everyday.  Our God continues to be a Living God, active and at work...sometimes through us, sometimes through others, and sometimes just through His Spirit.  So grateful to be serving a LIVING God today.

1) Power situation.  
The inverter parts finally came on Tuesday, and somehow...things are even worse than before.  Ryan has very endlessly and tirelessly worked out very temporary ways to get fans at night (mostly) and to have power during the day, but with Ryan only being here for another week and nothing actually working the way it's supposed to... sigh.

Our dear friends at NorthRidge are working to get someone here ASAP.  We'll keep you posted.

Side Note: some have been wondering when we'll get the "air conditioners" going again... there ARE no air-conditioners!  On the entire EBS campus, there is one A/C unit in the library for the books, and one A/C unit in Matt's office (his predecessor had to have it for his health, and Matt has NEVER complained :)  Aside from that, we are working to get power going again just for the fans we cling to :)

2) My sister and Baby Evie are coming tomorrow!
Yes, I know you know.  I'm just still really excited :)  She has been thoroughly warned by many of the many dangers of Haitian life, and I'm just so thankful to have dear family who live life with us, right where He's called us!  We CAN'T WAIT (but will terribly miss Uncle Adam!)

3) Speaking of Uncles.
In light of the many maintenance issues we've had starting into this new year, Uncle Don has scheduled his annual trip for REALLY soon!  VERY excited to have Uncle Don, and our buddy Jeremiah, joining us on the 25th...Don for a few weeks and Jeremiah for a few days!

4) Our VP's are jumping in so well.
What a joy it is to be living life with these four godly men this week and next.  We are going through a lot of His Word, a lot of stories and life experiences together, and a lot of cookies and Coke.

5) Our new students are jumping in so well.
I start interviewing our first year class for their testimonies and stories this week!  Very thankful to have this new group with us, very thankful for the spirit of the class, and very thankful for this chance to start getting to know them better (and sharing them with you!)

6) We couldn't have done it without Carol.
Financial brains seriously are SUCH a gift to all of us, even if we don't know it.  Her brilliance, dedication and awesome attitude have been such a gift to all of us this month, but especially just to ME.  I needed the encouragement and the practical help of a very talented and very true friend, and I'm just so thankful.  I wish she could stay forever...but she's leaving early Saturday.

7) We underestimate how very much God can work through us to change people's lives.
I always pray to be one of those people.  Lately, I feel far more the recipient, making this feel all the more true.  Press on in pouring out yourself unto Him and for others...even when it doesn't seem to be getting through.

8)

9) Health is still sketchy.

Phil and Emily both continue to be feeling pretty awful, though they are both on antibiotics, and the rest of us are fighting it for all we're worth.  Having so much on everyone's plates lately have us under attack all the more.  Please continue to pray for good health, and we're all working hard to take care of each other and to get enough sleep, drink our OJ, etc.  

10) The girls are lovely.

Their second day of school was wonderful, with lots more kids slowly heading back as well.  When they both marched out in single file lines with their classes yesterday, I thought I was going to cry.  Such big girls.  Yesterday Sofie made me a picture of four little stick figures with hearts around them, and when I asked if it was Mommy, Daddy, Lily and Sofie, she said, "NO! That is me and those are my three friends from school!" and I was thankful.  am thankful.  Thanks for patiently enduring so much talk about them lately...they are always on my heart.

11) Final part of the Junior in Baron story can be read here!

White Clay and grateful hearts

Do you get tired of hearing about how special each Sunday is?  I'm sorry if you do, but heavens.  

When we driving around the US and are up at 6 and getting out the door with all the blonds in braids and breakfast in the car and I'm nervous about speaking...I wish I had a different life.  

On our way home 8 hours later, I'm so so tired and thankful for the beautiful ways God meets us.

THIS is a special church.  Our first time ever at White Clay Creek Presbyterian with only Rick and Marlene to recognize, we didn't know what to expect.  But we sure didn't expect such a warm, caring, prayerful and passionate community.  Their love for each other was so incredibly apparent, and their welcome of us as complete strangers was ministry to us.

Additionally, the worship time of song and prayer was so Spirit-filled.  Their worship leaders were uber-talented, and Hillsong...ah.  Such a gift.  Marlene even whisked the girls to her house for the second service, which I must admit, made everything so much easier and happier for the girls!  THANK YOU Marlene!  And thank you and Rick so much for sharing your dear church family with us!  (HOW did I not get a picture with your family!!)

Marcelle brought George and Sam and adorable little handmade aprons for the girls for her second Sunday with the Ayars in a row...so special!

Rob has been to Haiti twice now to help with electricity and generator issues and drove an hour to be with us this morning with his wife!  Their daughter is coming on a team in a few weeks, and it was just such a blessing that even though we didn't get to his church, he came to where we were....so humbling.

If I talk about these guys too much I get emotional...but Uncle Don and his family are one of God's great graces in our lives.  When we need him in Haiti, he comes.  And brings Crystal Light and peanut butter and treats from Aunt Bren.  And when we preach, no matter WHERE, they are there.  And When Matt's parents move to Florida, they take us in.  When we bring butterflies and growing bean pods (Lily school) and tons of little girl clothes and add four more people in line for the shower...they work around us like family.  Brenda spoils all four of us, Don works his butt off to help us, Sami babysits and paints nails, and their sweet grandson loves having kids around and sweetly told Matt today, "Well, that was a little long.  But I didn't want to go to kids church because I wanted to hear YOU preach, and I'm so glad I did."  They bless us immensely. 

And don't have to.  

God's grace, the Hulmes are to us.

They even spoiled us with an awesome long-awaited Phillies game Friday night!

SO FUN.

Saturday we drove a few hours and met my cousins and their kiddos...which totaled a lot of blond littles on the playground :)

Aunt Cathy got each girl a Frozen Barbie, who have then been with us, EVERYWHERE, the last days.  Thank you, Aunt Cathy, and for bringing everyone together!

Our time with sweet Evie has been so good, too.  All four of us are so blessed to have had extra time with her and Lisa and Adam this summer since they moved to Philly, and can't believe how much this chubby little bird is growing and changing already.

Tomorrow morning (Monday) we leave the East coast with so many cherished memories and grateful hearts, heading through PA to see more family and then on to Columbus, Ohio, until we head for Kansas on Thursday to share and community with NorthRidge Church!

Transparency Requests: (Since we're working on it, you know!)

-Safe and peaceful travels these next days

-Rest and Energy...the summer isn't over yet, but we are t.i.r.e.d., and that's not easy for me to admit

-Our EBS team as the Heckman's are in Florida then Jersey for rest and support-maintenance and the Weavers leave next week for a wedding and doctor's visits...please be praying for these families and for our EBS team holding the ropes in everyone's absence

greatness.

My heart still feels so full from this morning I'm not totally sure how to write about it.  Our morning at Seeds of Greatness Bible Church was filled.  

Filled with some fantastic people, from Pastor Jerome and Lisa, the couple who baptized Matt as a child, to the friends we've made the last seven years, all the way down to other parents I met in the nursery.  

Filled with some fantastic Spirit-filled moments, from Matt's preaching all the way down to (I am not exaggerating) the announcements.  

Filled with a lot of different emotions, from awe at the reminder of who He is to heartbreak over the extreme pain in this world back to awe at the Creator who promises to make all things new.

Filled with a lot of gratefulness, from Seeds of Greatness and their huge role in faithfully supporting us in Haiti to Uncle Don and Aunt Brenda, sitting through at least Don's hundredth Ayars presentation, letting Sofie sticker them to death.  

One of the simple truths the Lord reminded me of this morning was that we've gotta be active in the Holy Spirit's work.  As Jerome put it, "You can't sit on the couch and ask the Holy Spirit to help you rake.  You gotta be raking for him to come alongside you and help you rake.  If you want the Holy Spirit to move, you gotta be moving." 

I've been praying and praying that the Lord will work in my heart and life on a certain issue, but for all the times I've asked Him to change my heart and been waiting for Him to do so, I sure haven't gotten started on it.  What a heart-changing truth for me today...

And that was in Jerome's office before the service started.  

Add in an incredible testimony of Mercy Ministries that had us all in tears (twice), the powerful photos and story of Jerome and Lisa's son's should-have-been death experience in May, an announcement-turned-devotional about SoG's ministry to teens with parents going through divorce, a powerful display of a church's commitment to every.single.person participating in the worship of tithing, some great musical worship, a totally-unexpected powerful dance/drama, some sincere and in-His-presence prayer times, a staggering altar call for active participation in missions and this handsome young man preaching (see it here), plus being surrounded by so many faithful friends?  Plus a time of being surrounded by all these people below to pray for rest, wisdom and renewed energy and protection for our family?

Yikes.  We were all so blessed and challenged we could hardly talk about anything else over lunch.

This is also why I got almost NO pictures.  Sorry.  

It was a Sunday we won't soon forget...one of those "make a milestone" moments you want to remember when the nights are inky black and sweaty hot and your heart is burdened and you can hear the voodoo drums pounding and I pray to the Lord, "Meet me, Lord, Come.  I am alone." 

He did, today, and I am NOT.

that's how we roll...

at Grammy's house...

when it rains...

When it's hot...

at Ikea...(Lily tried to move in :)

 at "rock star" Diane's house

and at Uncle Don's!

These girls are FISH!

They don't want floaties.  They don't want vests.  They don't want you to touch them.  They wanna SWIM!

and of course, Lily loves helping Uncle Don know exactly what he should be doing at all times.

It was such a great day, eating pizza, catching up, swimming and laughing our heads off.  We don't have many friends who intimately overlap our lives in Haiti...being with our Hulmes family in BOTH worlds is a BLESSING.

Check out Lily fish and Sofie fish below...

A Powerful Preach, the Phillies, and Pondering "Home"

Our first few days in Delaware-New Jersey-Pennsylvania have been GREAT.  Saturday night we kicked it off with a church that just feels more and more like home to us each year, Cornerstone Church.

Not only has this church helped financially support us over the last years, but they have invested in us...sending down a team, the senior pastor teaching 2 week courses at the seminary, and a whole bunch of people who follow our blog and pray for us regularly.  The spirit at Cornerstone is always so loving, friendly, and sincere.

If you weren't there, here is  Matt's sermon on Saturday and Sunday, which I thought (and I know I'm biased :) was just POWERFUL.  If you have a few minutes, seriously.  I'd watch it.

Click here.

When we first started speaking at Cornerstone and at other churches, we felt so imposing...hated asking people for help and hated busting Haiti and our call in on people's lives.

But since then, places like Cornerstone have made us so thankful!  While we may have wished at the beginning that someone would have just written us a big 'ole check and gotten it done in ONE swing, being forced to come alongside SO MANY people and SO MANY churches has now meant that we have SO MANY people and SO MANY churches, not just supporting us, but living life and doing ministry alongside of us! 

These relationships have truly been one of the GREATEST blessings of our past 8 years of support raising and living in Haiti.  

There is nothing better than finally meeting the couple in their 80's who sends you $25 dollars every single month for 8 years and seeing the tears stream down their weathered cheeks as they hear what God is doing in Haiti through them.  

Nothing better than praying with the pastor and remembering hotter, sweatier, harder days when we all prayed together around our breakfast table in Haiti before all heading to class...nothing better than Matt talking about Junior and having Pastor Paul and members of the congregation say, "I KNOW HIM!"

Praise the Lord it's been such a struggle to find and keep our funding up and the funding of the seminary, because it has enabled us to learn to Trust fully, and to live alongside of the hundreds of YOUS we never would have grown to love, otherwise!

I realized when I got this picture this morning that I was carrying Sofie's Haitian baby doll the entire time I was talking to people.  Yeah.  

It was a GREAT weekend at Cornerstone.  We are just so blessed.

Then Monday was another great day...first, spending some time with Matt's parents, brother and sister-in-law and cousin Nico, taking family pictures, and then, heading with Uncle Don and Aunt Brenda to a Phillies game!

Every time Uncle Don comes to Haiti, he and Matt throw the ball around after work and talk about the Phillies, dreaming of the day they could enjoy a game together!

Last night the four of us went, with seats and company that just couldn't have been better!

I thought I was going to be the only fan in a teal t-shirt, but Uncle Don and Aunt Bren even got me a Phillies shirt!

It was SO.MUCH.FUN.  

Felt like the most American, normal, far from Haiti thing on earth.  Crab fries, hot dogs, ice cold cokes, baseball.  Perfect.

I even got to sit by Aunt Brenda, so while these guys talked baseball the whole game, we got to watch ball AND catch up :)

So much fun, and so blessed after all these years of sweating and working together in Haiti to sweat and relax together!  And, yeah.  We won!

The girls, meanwhile, are having just a great time with their cousin, Aunt and Uncle and Grammy and PopPop.  Playing with all of Nico's toys...out in the sprinkler...chasing the dogs, eating Jersey corn, getting their hair curled, happy!

Uncle Casey and the three, soon to be four!  (just to clarify, that would be Aunt Laura who is pregnant. Aunt Laura.)

I don't know how it works to miss home AND be happy to be home all at the same time, all the while being very aware that this WORLD is not our home.

It works, I guess, because He Is.