overwhelming

We've been back in Haiti like two seconds, and I'm already totally overwhelmed.

Overwhelmed last night as one of our ministry partners down the street finally saw a dream come true in starting a weekly Saturday night dynamic youth service.  Which is non-existent.  Unheard of. I was excited about EBS's opportunity to have staff and students preaching each week, but when I was visiting Paulcine a few hours beforehand, she started sharing with me how excited all the mamas are.  "There is nothing for our kids to do here, nowhere for them to go, so they end up hanging on the streets every night, making mistakes and falling away. We all need this."  When Matt came back with glowing reports of an awesome night with 150 young people and a photo of Leme, Temene, Ramendy and Sundy, our EBS fam...I was overwhelmed.

Overwhelmed as we headed to church this morning, and passed Phida and Nosebin getting on a tap-tap, heading to DuFour, faithful and sacrificial, going.  Going.  In 100 degree heat, going on their last day of summer break, faithful.

Overwhelmed as I sat with our brothers and sisters this morning after freely worshipping together, listening to Matt openly share the one and only GOOD News...watching those around me taste it.

This little boy wanted to be like his daddy SO much.

Overwhelmed tonight as we walked through the village to pray for a few friends, watching the girls play with what seemed like a million school-mates, and ended up holding the hands of an old friend, Maxi's dad, so close to meeting Jesus, waving his frail hands in the air and praising the Lord for the joy and confidence of a new body, of an eternity spent at the feet of his Father.

Overwhelmed catching this photo from the car window of a little girl following her mama, barefoot skinny and in a sheet-turned-dress, singing her heart out as she traipsed.

This is a big old week that would threaten to overwhelm me in other ways.  But instead, I'm letting it all drive me to His feet, where I am overwhelmed further still.

Tomorrow is, in Emmaus Haiti world, the start of a new year, and we would be so grateful to be in your prayers...

     -please pray for Lily and Sofie as they start back up homeschooling tomorrow, and get registered with their friends the end of this week for a new school year in the villages next door, starting September 4

    -please pray for Matt, Lucner, Claudin, Leme and our other leaders here at Emmaus as a new year begins

    -please pray for our incoming and current students, all of whom are in ministry of some form, all of whom are also full-time students, and all of whom have families and friends and communities and churches in great need of support and prayer

    -please pray for Matt and I as we always seek to do better each year...setting up good work boundaries and practices and balances, making commitment decisions, starting new things, stopping some things, coming alongside our staff and students well, raising up the girls fully in Jesus

    -please pray for Nora as she readjusts to having Mommy and Daddy, Lily and Sofie out and about

    -please continue to pray for Claudin and Josie, as they wait with hope to meet their new baby in October!

    -please pray that we would all be far more sensitive to HIS leading than our own, far more interested in HIS own glory than our successes, far more faithful to HIS work than to our own, quick to obey when He prods and quick to abandon that which isn't His prodding. 

thank you!