Haiti Love

In lieu of a post, today I'm asking all of you to consider giving just $10 to Haiti...

I know, I know, you're thinking "What difference does it make?" or "I already gave!"...but, my friend Kelly is there RIGHT NOW with a team from her non-profit. If you visit their website TODAY and give to Haiti then she will personally make sure the money is used to buy food for the families in need there.

GIVE BIG!

For more info on her extraordinary trip...read on... this is the email I got from her this morning. Prepare to have your heart MOVED:

hey em,

things here in haiti are amazing. we've landed in the midst of some of the most genuine women i've ever had the honor of meeting. we're at an orphanage where all of the children have to sleep outside. there's a huge white tent filled with babies under 1 year old...it's sooo hot in there. beside that, there are a huge row of tents where the ladies (caretakers) and the orphans live. we've been in tents as well and had an amazing chance to realy enter into the lives of these caretakers and orphans. You all know that my heart of hearts is to come along side those who care for others and to let them know they are not invisible and that we see them and we want to honor them.

Tonight, i would say, was one of the most significant nights of my life. I wanted to find a way to honor these women. Most of them are living here at their work..in tents with the orphans. The reason? Because their houses were destroyed in the earthquake. They work around the clock because day after day they are finding children in the rubble. They have had an 80% increase in children in 2010.

Here's the beauty...

They LOVE the kids so well. In the tent where so many infants lay one beside the other....it's soo hot. And when one is finished crying another begins. It's a recipe for tempers and impatience to brew. But not these women. At each cry, they take the crying baby, feed the baby, and read psalms over the baby. Then they move to the next. Meanwhile, other ladies are outside handwashing clothes, carrying buckets of water, making dinner for kids and for us, teaching the older children in a pre-school that is behind the orphanage, and i could go on and on with their demand of duties.Oh, and they make 5 bucks a day...they work 12 hours a day. They don't make much now because of how many orphans the orphanage is having to care for.

They are so steady. I can't explain it. They just love endlessly. The amazing thing too is about every hour they all gather in the middle of the yard and they sing hymns and they all pray out loud. I would have to say it is the most beautiful thing that has ever graced my ears. I wake up to them singing. I fall alseep to them singing. And I know that when a baby wakes me up at 2am, they are nursing it back to sleep.

Prayer. Wow.

So, I wanted to find a way to honor them. It's so easy to come here and go straight to the cute little kids and ignore the caretakers. The heart of The Oak Project is to honor those who are caring for others.

I approached the director and I told him I had a very American question to ask him. He laughed and I went on to ask if he knew of a pizza place around town where we could get pizza's for these ladies and give them tasty food and a night off of cooking and cleaning.

And guess what? Domino's is in Haiti! Today we went to the Domino's in Puert au Prince only to find it had collapsed during the quake. Pier (the pastor of the orphanage) assured me there was one on the mountain we could go to. So he, myself, melody and tracy set out on a mission. He shared a lot with us about Haiti and Haiti since the quake...i could write a book about what i've learned. But one of my favorite bits of information is that many of the ladies we were serving tonight had never had pizza. The poor live on rice and beans so this was going to be a treat.

We arrived back at the orphange and set it all up. We bought beautiful flowers at a street market for them. They were bright white and beautiful. We bought them each their own soda and tracy picked up some chips a hoy chocolate chip cookies just to top it off!

They all gathered together and before we served them we told them why we wanted to do this. I told them not to feel guilty...I know that they were thinking that money could have gone to something else or to others. But I reminded them of the story when the woman broke the expensive perfume at the feet of Jesus. The critics cried out that the perfume could have fed many of the poor...but Jesus made it clear that there is a time to be extravagant and crazy in our giving...and i told them that tonight this was the best way we could find to honor them. As I was giving my little pre-dinner talk I said to them, "You have amazed us. You love these children so well even with the deep grief you carry in your heart. I know that it is easy for groups to come in and only see the children, we want you to know that you are not invisible to us and you are the ones we see."

Just as those words came off of my lips, they ERUPTED in applause...screaming and shouting with joy. We were all in shock and in tears. They would not let go of their flowers. They held them tight even as they ate. After they ate, they began clapping and shouting and they grabbed us and we all shouted, danced and clapped together.

One of the women said, "kelly, kelly, come take my pictures and you can show everyone you know how happy i feel right now!"


One by one they would come to us with a translator and say to us that they are so thankful for what we have done. They would say that they would now pray that God blesses us for what we did for them.


Okay, you realize we're talking about pizza and some encouragement...right? I can't wait to show you guys the video.

Anyway, I feel very confirmed that these are the people God spoke to me about before I left for Haiti. Turns out, they've been praying for God to send an "esther" to be a voice for them in the states. I told the women and the pastor and his family.... that when I advocate for Haiti...they will be the Haiti I advocate for.

The Oak Moms are in love with the women and we are excited to see what God has planned for us as we begin walking in relationshihp with these wonderful people.


One of the ladies here is named Andrea. Tonight as we were dong the pizza thing another part of our team went to her local fellowship and took dinners to the families there. It was crazy when we went to the grocery store today to buy for these families. Each family can be fed for FOUR days and it only costs ten bucks. They get rice, beans, noodles, tuna, salt, coffee, creamer and a couple other items.

I wrote to you guys because you are leaders and I wanted to ask if you could tell people you know to go to www.theoakproject.com for the next 24 hours and donate 10 bucks and we will take that money direclty out and buy a family four days worth of food.

Tonight we had to turn away a lot of the families at andrea's church and we want to go back before we leave and be sure that those families are provided for.

There's so much more to tell.


kelly

Pardy Pooper

I'm wondering if there's any moms out there who might know where I could find a full-body-size diaper for my baby???

I seriously don't know how so much ugliness can eject from something so small and cute. I really don't mind changing diapers - I guess they are right - there just is something different about it all "when it's your own". And I should know. As an aunt to 7 and a previous nanny, I've powdered and wiped and diapered my fair share of others in the past. Not that those children weren't lovely and endearing, but they certainly kept my gag-reflex in tune at times.

Diapers take up such a short-lived time in our lives, yet when you are living with them they are a consuming nuisance of necessity. I'm so thankful they aren't like they used to be - I can't imagine adding "don't stick child with safety pin" to the list of inevitable injuries I could inflict on my child.

And, though I admire and respect those who commit to the duty of cloth diapers - I bow down to a different god and thank the heavens for huggies and pampers and whoever it was that invented those little stick-em tabs on the disposable diapers.

Still, they are pricey and stinky and I think the word "nag" must have somehow originated from a term meaning "woman who perpetually, consistently, and limitlessly asks her husband to take out the 'poopy trash' day after day even right after he seemingly just took it out". (Sorry honey, I love you).

I don't want it to sound like I'm complaining - I knew the magnitude of the odiferous task when I signed up for it - but I am amazed at how quickly one adjusts to such a job, and how nonchalant we become regarding something that becomes so taboo to disclose as we mature into private adults (which I'm also thankful for). Maybe it's because as we grow we just do so much more as people. Literally, we learn and function at whole new levels, unlike the 3 simple tasks we knew as babes: eat, sleep...poop!

I know we have a long road ahead. There are many outfits to be ruined, many accidents to be had, many linens to be washed. I'm amazed at how much joy I find in being needed for a task I would cringe at doing for any other individual on the planet.

My Matilda might be stinky - but I don't mind. She's mine.

Still - I really am serious about that full-body-size diaper...

WWJT?

A couple weeks ago our pastor started a new series in church titled "Follow Me". Much to my generation-XYZ-surprise, it is an exploration of Jesus' ministry through each of the gospels - and not a marketing ploy for someone's new Twitter account. But, that got me thinking, if Jesus were living, breathing, and being alive as a human here in this time with us today, would Jesus be working His iPhone daily, updating His status and "gathering Followers" right alongside Ashton and Conan and the rest of us?

What would Jesus Tweet?

Here's just a sampling of what went through my mind...

Bcuz I first luv u, that's why!

Just walked on water, that's how I roll. @peteluvsfish Chin up!

OMG is an awesome G.

Loaves + fish = nom nom nom!

Just cast demons into...get this...wait for it...Swine! LOL!

Water into wine = mindbomb! @weddingirl55 ur welcome!

@judiscariot...Really?

@johnnybgood I dip you dip we dip! Thx for the baptism!

Raised @Lazarusawesome from the dead! Go high five that guy!

I heart Samaritans! Just ask @wellWoman!

Remember when that storm just quit out of nowhere? That was me! Peace @doubtingdesciple!

What a sight for sore eyes! @blinddude1 and @blinddude2 can see again!

Anyone else hear that rooster crow? @peterepeat...Can't say I didn't warn you!

The tomb is empty! Sorry missed you @mmagdalene and @simonpete - had to spread the news!

Good to see my bros again! @thomasdoubter For realsies!

Hmm, let's just say I'm glad that the Bible doesn't limit Jesus to 140 characters or less. :)

Easter [Dress] Hunt

This last weekend we went on a major hunt for the perfect first Easter dress for Matilda. I know it is a little silly - obviously not the meaning of Easter at all - but I'll take any excuse to doll my girl up and have her be extra frilly for a day.

What began as a simple task (get the girl a dress) ended in spring-time mayhem. Turns out, they don't find much use for Easter dresses before the age of 12 months. We went to three different stores before we even found a dress that was in her size!

Finally, after finding one, returning it, finding another and getting to the very end of my husband's wit (he was such a trooper)...I found the perfect dress. It's lovely - peach and lots of silly tulle that I'm sure my baby girl will drool all over. But, I honestly chose it because it reminded me so much of my favorite Easter dress growing up...it is exactly the same pretty peach color.

We always dressed our best for church growing up. I almost always wore a dress and so did most of my friends (who went to church), so I don't ever remember it being a point of contention with my parents. Very different from today when I get out my "nice jeans" every Sunday!

Even so, Easter was different...special...and I loved picking out a special Easter dress every year for the occasion. One year in particular (the peach year) I think I was in second grade and we had been to Mexico over Christmas vacation. Now - I'm not talking plush Mexico, like Cabo or something - no, this is the exotic land of Progresso, Mexico on the Texas border where you bargained for everything and prayed that you didn't go home with more than you bargained for (literally - like a good case of Montezuma's Revenge, if you catch my drift).

On our day trip there I had found the loveliest of dresses and my mother said I could get it if I saved it for Easter. I eagerly agreed and after haggling over a few pesos in price, the dress was mine! It was white on top with a big peach skirt requiring bunches of tulle to hold up the scope of the twirling material. It tied at the waist with a big bow in the back and had puff sleeves. I think I was going through a "Anne of Green Gables" phase because those puff sleeves were quite captivating (any AoGG fan will catch this reference).

I remember my mom taking our picture that year, my sister having her hair especially hair-sprayed high for the occasion and my brother resembling some guy out of Miami Vice with his white jacket cuffs cinched up to his elbows. My bangs took up half my head and were perfectly curled under creating a lovely shelf of hair just above my ears. The sun was shining, my basket was full of candy and our yard was spotted with brightly colored eggs yet to be discovered...it was a wonderful morning. And I, in my lovely peach dress with matching white gloves and patent leather shoes was ready to take on the world...er, at least Sunday school.

Now, don't get me wrong, as Easter approaches I will talk more about the true meaning of Easter (Candy of course! Just kidding). I don't want you to think a pretty Easter dress in anyway overshadows the recognition of Christ conquering our plight against eternal death and separation from God...um, no. But still, I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to look your best on a day meant for celebration!

So, while she doesn't have bangs to curl or matching gloves (she would stick in her mouth anyway) my Matilda will be wearing a lovely peach dress this Easter...and someday she will look back at the pictures and say how silly her mother was for sticking her in such an elaborate get-up for only one morning. Maybe she'll even write a blog about it. :)