A Birthday Blessing

I sat around the fire with my friends, breathing in the cool fall air and sitting close to the flames. One gift after another was carefully opened, admired and put back into its bag. My whole 18th birthday had turned into a big two week ordeal full of fun weekends and lots of junk food. Tonight was the night my friends and family were invited over for some ice-cream cake, some yummy cider and a big bonfire. After going through some gifts and reading cards my mom handed me a big box. I carefully unwrapped it, excited to see what was inside. Once it was fully unwrapped it was nothing but a cardboard box so I cut it open and slowly pulled out its contents. Each item was dutifully wrapped in tissue paper and laid flat inside of the box. Item after item was unwrapped and shown to everyone, the first being a tiny shampoo, then some conditioner, face wipes, deodorant and a little toothbrush kit. By the time I had emptied out the box everyone was laughing and I was even more confused. I had no idea why I had gotten any of these bathroom items and considered the fact that because it wasn't my actual birthday that day, it was nothing but a gag gift. After everyone's laughter subsided is when it happened........ I looked up to see my mom handing me her laptop. Confused once again I hesitated before I took it, but once I set it on my lap I realized that the computer screen had a slide show on it. "I'll read them out loud as you click through them," my mother said as she stood behind me. Slide after slide she read aloud so that everyone around the fire could hear...." We asked you what you wanted for your birthday, but the only answer we really got was that you didn't want anything, you were content with the things you have. But we know what the perfect gift is for you. You are probably wondering why you just opened a box full of toiletries. Well, because we love you. And Haiti loves you, and you love Haiti. The cards you are about to open contain the amount of money you need in order to stay a week in Haiti." Tears of joy sprang to my eyes and I couldn't believe what I was hearing! I got out of my chair and ran to my mom for a hug then went over to my dad to give him a hug. Everyone was clapping and my face was lit up in a huge smile. It was the greatest birthday gift I'd ever received. My mom then explained that my trip would be for a week sometime in January during my break from choir, and that I would be staying at Mission Lifeline where I had previously been this last August! I was excited for the rest of the evening, and as I fell asleep that night the only thing going through my mind was the thought that I would soon reunite with the place that held my heart.

BITTERSWEET **The Haiti Diaries(THD) Day 6**

Today was going to be our last day out off the Mission and going places so naturally we chose to go visit another orphanage! The last one we visited was taken very good care of and the kids didn't seem to need as much attention as the others had at prior orphanages. This one we kind of sat and watched them play, as you can imagine by this point we were all pretty worn out and tired of the same games and songs. We still sang a few songs, but other than that, we just watched the children interact with each other. Some of the guys in our group noticed that a lot of the little boys were playing with a wooden plank and some cement blocks. Noticing the length of the board, our guys took it an created a teeter totter for the kids to enjoy. They thought it was the weirdest thing they had ever seen and we had to teach them how to use it. They LOVED it! I bet if I were to go visit them right this minute the boys would still be on it! After our orphanage visit, we went to the Mission and pretty much relaxed and had some down time.
       Later on in the evening some of the village boys came to the porch to hang out with us. Marie and I had been sitting there and she told me about this fruit she had tried called a kanip. She was determined to find more and have me try some. Mackendy overheard us and took us on a kanip finding adventure! We eventually found a whole tree of them and made sure to take a whole branch back to the porch with us! They were so yummy and I wish I could've brought some home. While we were enjoying our hundreds of kanips there was a little boy sitting across from us. We decided it wouldn't kill us to share and offered him some, we talked for a while and quickly became friends. As we went through the motions (What is your name? How old are you?) we realized that this little boy was not that little. He looked to be about twelve, but instead surprised us with the fact that he was seventeen just like us! We literally talked with him about it for a good five minutes and finally believed him when another friend of ours from Lifeline said he had an ID to prove it. We were shocked!
      For the rest of the night we hung out with the boy (whose name I don't even want to try and type out for you) and many of the other kids! We were really beginning to build friendships with them and it was fun to just hang out and talk with them. While we were hanging out one of the older boys came up to me, poked me on my shoulder, shouted "TING!" and quickly ran off. I was confused, but laughed anyways and then continued my conversation. A few minutes later the boy came back and did the same thing only this time he stood there laughing at me. I was so confused and asked what he was doing, but he wouldn't tell me. So I decided to go ask a Lifeline helper and here is what I learned. You know how in America if one of our friends does something to embarrass us and we jokingly say "I'm gonna kill you!" Well in Haiti they say that too, but have somehow come to the shortened version of "Ting." Apparently it catches on quickly because it is a game all of the boys play. After figuring this out I spent half of the night trying to "ting" people back. It was extremely funny!
     After our childish game we decided to take some pictures and that was when it happened. The heart shattering moment that poisoned my mood for the rest of the trip. My precious camera was dropped and died instantly. I got a few pictures with the boys and as someone was handing me my camera back, I grabbed it, but the string was caught on the other person's hand and the camera was pulled down onto the tile. The lens was stuck out and once I did get the camera to turn on the focus did nothing. It was tragic and we passed around the camera to a few people to see if they could fix it but no one could. The Haitian boys definitely taught me a lesson that night, for as I was trying to turn the camera back on they quickly dug into their pockets telling me over and over again "Nina, my friend, we pay new one!" It was amazing that these kids, who had absolutely nothing, were offering to pay for something of mine because they felt bad. My heart went from shattered to in awe of what these guys were doing. I, of course, did not take their money and told them that it would be alright.  But even as we were saying goodnight all of them gave me a hug and said "sorry about camera my friend." It's crazy how in one moment you can learn from a child in a third world country more than you've ever learned from seventeen years in America.

TWO EXTREMES **The Haiti Diaries(THD) Day 5**

We started off our day knowing that later on we would soon be enjoying the sunshine and the breath taking views of the Caribbean, but before we left we had an orphanage to visit. Everyone got ready and we ventured through the village and down some pathways until we reached our destination. A small little orphanage that was falling apart bit by bit. Not only was it externally falling apart, but so were the children inside of it. One little boy had a broken arm, another child had a broken jaw and there was also a little girl with a broken cheek bone. No one knows how they were all injured, but only because no one would tell us. The kids were very skinny and the only real joy we saw from them was when we sang and played games with them. It was a very sad place to see, especially because there were a lot of young children there.
        Later on as we walked back to the Mission we found out that the owner there was not a good one. Mission Lifeline has sent them countless containers of food, sheets, clothing and many other things for the children. Instead of showing up for a visit and seeing these things Lifeline finds that they're nowhere to be seen. The owner, instead of giving these things to the kids, is selling it for money. I will be the first to openly say that the money is not going towards the orphanage what so ever. My heart broke for the children at that orphanage as I imagined them staying in a place like that. Where every waking moment someone is taking advantage of your loneliness for their own personal image.
      On the way back a team member of mine became extremely dehydrated and had to sit down. Her first reaction was to fall asleep and we tried as hard as we could to keep her awake but nothing seemed to work. Soon one of the Haitian boys, who we all knew as Daniel, offered to carry her the rest of the way. Here was this boy who barely knew any of us and he carried my friend all the way back to the Mission on his back. He walked faster than any of us because he knew she needed to get out of the sun. He took her inside, put her on the couch and tried countless times to get her to drink some water. Fortunately we arrived soon after and our amazing leaders were able to get her awake and taken care of.  Daniel really showed sacrifice that day and was a true friend, someone that we all learned to trust throughout the rest of the trip.
     After returning to the mission we quickly got ready and set out for a resort named Wahoo Bay. We spent the remainder of the day there swimming in the ocean and relaxing after a rough morning. It was kind of surreal at first. Not only was the resort full of post card worthy beauty but it was also one of the nicest places I had seen in Haiti. I will admit that for the first hour or so I could not fully enjoy myself. No matter how beautiful it was or how relaxed I felt I couldn't take my mind off that orphanage. Here I was enjoying myself on a beach while there were kids who were being treated poorly. It really affected my outlook and reminded me of how blessed I truly am.
      Later that night it began to storm and as we sat on the porch at Lifeline relaxing after our amazing day at the beach we stared in awe at the beauty of the storm. I'm not sure why but the thunder was so powerful and the lightning was so bright that it literally amazed each and every one of us. Shortly after the storm had ended me and my friend Marie decided to once again go tarantula hunting. We were probably quite a sight as we set out across the compound towards the warehouse, Marie holding a flashlight and me clutching my machete. It was quite an adventure and a great way to end the day!

   

HEARTBREAKER **The Haiti Diaries(THD) Day 4**

Monday was a very busy day for us, and one I will not forget easily. We visited three orphanages that day. We went to some amazing ones and some that, well, needed a lot of work to say it the best way possible. To be rather honest I don't remember the last two as much as I remember the first one, and with that statement said I will tell it's story.
         
          We had been on the bus for quite some time now. Even though we were hot and sweaty from the ride to the orphanage we were still full of energy and ready to play with some kids! As we stopped in front of the building I noticed that some of the walls were crumbling and that it looked old, but other than that it looked nice from the outside. I quickly learned that this entire orphanage was going to have that kind of effect the whole time I was there. We all began filing out of the bus and were immediately met by children coming to lead us into their "home." I gradually walked in with everyone else and began to look around. I noticed some torn up cushions on some chairs seated around the room, a small bench with so many holes in it that it hurt to sit on it and one very worn table.  To the side were probably about ten bunk beds and some very dirty floors. At first the kids seemed really happy to see us, they sang some songs and held our hands but it wasn't to last. Shortly after we arrived their real feelings began to show. These precious little ones that seemed so happy on the outside were torn and everyone could tell. Their smiles turned into blank stares, their laughs turned into cries, their talking turned into silence and their smiles vanished. There were two children in particular who did nothing, absolutely no sound was heard from them, no smile was even close to laying on their lips. They were strictly just there. Holding you close and making sure you didn't let them go.
     One little boy out of the two caught my attention as he sat on my friends lap. My child had run off to play games and so I sat next to the little boy and tried to make him laugh, only to notice that he was silently crying to him self.  No sound escaped from his lips as he sat there looking at us, tears dripping down his precious face.  I wiped them away and looked at him with sadness trying to figure out what was wrong. He clung to my friend so tightly, as if he was afraid he would fall. His eyes were glazed over as if he were in some distant land away from the orphanage. They held such emotion, the feelings of complete and utter betrayal, sadness, abandonment and heartbrokenness. I still catch myself tearing up as I revisit these memories. I had never in my life seen such sadness in a little one, it was so strongly present that it could not be ignored. We tried to help as best we could, we held him close, tickled him, played with his hands and fed him some crackers. Nothing seemed to work and we soon realized that his wall of brokenness would not be so easily knocked down.
        I sat by him for the remainder of the time we were there and studied him, studied his eyes, his frown, his movements, his breathing. I didn't want to forget this boy, and I don't think I ever will. For not only was his sadness internal but was soon shown externally as we left him behind. But this time he was not alone, for as everyone returned inside to say goodbye and put there kids down screams could be heard everywhere. Not the kind of screams you hear when someone is scared, not the screams you hear when a child is excited about something. Screams of extreme sadness. Every child except for a select few began weeping. Holding on to us for dear life, begging us to stay, and that tiny little boy, who I had learned to love so dearly began to silently scream as well. I can still remember him hitting the wall, tears rolling down his face so quickly that his shirt was soaked and not making a sound. As we pulled out of the driveway you could still hear them screaming, it's a sound that echoes in my heart still. With every passing day I will never forget that sound, I've never heard anything like it before and I hope that you never have to hear it. My heart broke that day for those kids, and is still breaking into little pieces at a time every time I hear those sounds in my head.
     The only joy out of that visit was that we were able to share Gods unending love with them. We were there to hold them as they cried. We showed them love for as long as we could and even though it hurt to say goodbye I hope to one day return and see them again. To once again hold them close and whisper "I love you" to them. To sing with them and share those first few minutes of smiles and laughs with them and to comfort them as they slowly crumble just like the brick walls. I ask that you pray for these kids and not just these ones, but the hundreds of thousands of children out in the world just like them. Many tears were shed that night as I tried to sleep but I knew deep in my heart that God would be there for them longer then I ever could and they would never have to be afraid of losing him just as they lost me.

DEDICATION **The Haiti Diaries(THD) Day 3**

Yet another day. We woke up and got ready for church, it was Sunday so we needed to wear nice skirts and look our best. We were all told to expect a long service so as you can imagine we cooled down as much as we could and filled our water bottles to the brim. I will admit that instead of going to church when it started we slipped into the service around 8:30 with everyone from Lifeline and took some seats in the back. As soon as we walked in a little girl walked past some of my friends and came up to me to hold my hand. She then proceeded to tell me to sit and she sat on my lap for the entire service. Every time we stood she had me pick her up and every time we sat down she quickly claimed my lap. Before long everyone was a sweaty mess including the little girl (when the Haitians are fanning themselves you know it must be hot!) She sweetly gave me a smile and squeezed my hand to reassure me that she was coming back and made her way towards the front of the church. She then walked up to her mother and pulled out a rag from her hand. The little girl quietly walked back to my seat, sat down on my lap and began wiping the sweat off of her head.  Throughout the entire service she would look up at me, smile shyly and wipe her forehead. Soon after she returned to my lap she took off her shoes and before she proceeded to place her tiny little feet on my lap she wiped off her feet. It made me sit and think about how respectful that one small deed was. Here was a little girl, maybe 4 or 5, who had walked up to me wanting my attention and making sure that my skirt was not dirtied by her feet. It was such a small act yet such a big one.
     After the service we were taken back to the compound and relaxed until around dinner. After dinner we enjoyed one of my favorite parts of the trip....soccer! If you know me, you know that I am not athletic what so ever. So I simply sat to the side and watched as the Haitians played. They are so amazingly good! Their competitive nature and their fancy footwork definitely made the game worth watching. At night when the soccer games go on many of the village kids are allowed into the compound to enjoy them as well, so as you can imagine I was once again surrounded by kids! This time though I learned some new things about being an American girl in Haiti.
    Now before you worry, nothing bad happened. Everything was under control and it was an easy fix. Because of the culture sometimes women are not treated with that much respect, so as I was surrounded by little boys and some older boys just being myself and having fun I was constantly told by them "I love you baby" and "wait for me in America." Sometimes I just ignored them, other times I laughed it off and sometimes I would sternly say no and they would stop.  I had many encounters with guys trying to hit on me, no matter what age they were, but you learn to not encourage them and to just say no.
     That night after the soccer game I decided to walk some of the younger kids to the gate so they could walk home with their parents. As I was walking down the dirt driveway a girl put her arm around my waist. I then began laughing because she had found my tickle spot! Well of course the laugh was a dead giveaway and within a few seconds I had twenty kids surrounding me tickling me! I couldn't breathe and finally got one of the older boys to translate that they needed to let go because I was going to my house. At first they obeyed and let go, but half way up the driveway they ran after me and began again! Although it was annoying at the time I look back now and smile because I have never laughed so much in my life! In order to get away I literally had to sprint back to the house and up the steps! It was a joyous ending to a long day.

OUTSIDE THE BOX **The Haiti Diaries (THD) Day 2**

I woke up the next morning feeling brand new and I was ready for whatever the day had to bring me! Our first task of the day was to visit some orphanages. While at these orphanages we acted out some skits, sang lots and lots and lots and lots (you get the picture) of songs and played some games. In the midst of all of this we also made sure to hold the kids closely, give them kisses and show them that we cared. I will touch more on orphanages and some of our experiences in some of the upcoming posts!
    After our visits we headed back to the Lifeline Mission and walked through the village. At first is was a normal walk and we looked around in amazement taking every little thing in. Soon children began running up to us seeking our attention. Before we knew it there were a ton of kids surrounding us as we walked to the dam. Once we arrived at the dam many of the kids went swimming and showed us how they jumped into the water. This is when I first encountered one of the biggest challenges....learning names. Not only do they ask your name, they tell you theirs, and you should expect them to ask you what their name is within the next ten minutes. This was a challenge for me, not only are their names much different from ours, but there are a lot of kids that want you to remember them! I decided that it would be quite impossible to remember all of their names and so I just remembered the short easy ones.
    After watching many of the kids play in the water the team decided to walk up the river and check it out. I slowly made my way over to find that our little friends were going to follow us there as well. Everyone on the team had at least one child by there side and as I walked towards them I could feel all of their eyes on me. Here I came walking up to everyone with not one, not two, not three, but six children at my side. All of them holding my hand or an article of my clothing and each one smiling, laughing, and trying to talk to me.  Lets just say that by the time I actually met up with the team they had already decided to head back to the dam. If there is one thing I learned that day at the dam it's that kids seem to love me as much as I love them. Holding their hands gives them a sense of love and me a sense of comfort. Showing them love comes naturally to me and I think that is why they tend to gravitate towards me a lot. It can be overwhelming at times but in the end their smiles make it all worth it!
    To conclude my day I decided to make some interesting decisions. Number one, tonight was the night I was going to face one of my fears and number two, I was going to purchase a machete. Number two was not that difficult for me and you can see a photo of it below. I will let you know that it is for display only and is not able to be reached by my siblings. Number one, on the other hand, was a big step for me. I was going Tarantula hunting. (For those of you with a fear of spiders I recommend that you skip down to the next paragraph!) Now most of you know, spiders are not liked in my family. I don't like them, my sisters don't like them and my mom doesn't like them. So deciding to go tarantula hunting was a pretty big thing for me. I'm sorry to say that I did not get any pictures but these things were bigger than my camera. We saw about three that night and after getting up close to them I realized that they aren't that bad!
      My first full day in Haiti was a success and I realized that I loved kids more than I originally thought!! My body was starting to get used to the heat and my heart was at peace knowing I was living my dream once again!

LIVING AND LEARNING **The Haiti Diaries (THD) Day 1**

There I was again, standing in an airport, my bags in my hands and my heart ready to leave America. I had stressed all week about this trip, what was going to happen, who I was going to meet, what I was going to do the usual things that I stress about before each trip. This time it was different though, I didn't feel as prepared as usual and I was thinking more about myself than I was the actual trip. I soon realized that God had this under control and I could stress less.
         As I stepped off the plane in Port-au-Prince, Haiti I breathed out a sigh of relief as I was once again embarking on a journey to do something I loved. The heat, the people and the sunshine reminded me of Africa and I soon became comfortable with my surroundings. We didn't arrive in Haiti until around dinner time so it was much cooler, but yet the hour and forty-five minute drive to Arcahaie showed us no mercy with its intense heat. By the time we arrived at the Lifeline compound we were tired, sweaty, sticky and hungry. We quickly got settled in and then sat to eat before we started some work. We ate and then walked over to the warehouse. The warehouse holds many donated things as well as thousands of pounds of rice and beans. Each day the Lifeline canteens (one located at the mission and the other located in a local village) feeds hundreds of children rice and beans and so they store the shipments once they have arrived. We were to help unload each box and bag and stack them up with the others. All of us proceeded to make a line leading to the stacking area and after being prompted by some of the Haitian boys to go faster we quickly stacked some boxes of rice. That's when it hit me. The agonizing pain in my stomach that told me my dinner would not stay down much longer. I quickly went to the side and sat down with another team member of mine who had a splitting headache. After resting and drinking some water the pain eased a little bit but was still there. After talking with one of the adults we decided it would be best if my friend and I went back to the house and rested.
      Laying on my new bed with a fan blowing in my face I began to think as I drifted off to sleep. I thought about how many kids we were unloading food for, I thought about Africa and compared some things, I thought about home but mostly I thought about resting in Him. I was yet again in another country, where poverty reigns supreme and the devil pays visits often. A place where people are broken, unhappy and lacking hope. A place where my heart felt content, a place where I wanted to be. A midst the brokenness and the sadness I was there for God's purpose. I was reminded of all of those things, but mostly that the people did not show those things openly. They were a group of people stronger than anything and full of joy and love for the Lord. This is where I belonged for the week and with that last thought I breathed a sigh of comfort and drifted into a sound sleep full of healing and joy.

     " But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:33-34

Wait...Didn't I Just Do This?

So this is it...I'm off on yet another adventure! It seems like just yesterday I was unpacking from my trip to Africa and yet here I am packing to leave for Haiti! I'm so excited for this trip and all of the amazing things that I will be doing!

First, I would like to thank everyone yet again for stepping up and showing me support and love these past few months, this year has definitely been a great one for me and I couldn't have done it without the countless friends and family that have walked along with me. I can't even think of the right words to say as I'm typing out my thank you's right now. It's overwhelming (in a good way) to think of all the people who have encouraged me, prayed for me, paid for me, hugged me, given me tips, given me information...etc. the list forever goes on! So once again, thank you all so much!

Second, I would like to point out the fact that unfortunately I will have absolutely no contact with anyone while I'm away. There will be zero internet/cell connection there. I'm struggling with this a little bit but will have a bit of internet freedom which will be nice. On the down side, this also means no blog posts until I return. Don't worry! I'm taking a journal to write in daily so that I can still have many moments to share with you, and I will be taking my camera for pictures!

Thank you all so much for everything and I will talk to you once I return! Please keep me and my youth group in your prayers as we journey to Haiti and do Gods work!

Here We Go Again!!

Yes! You read that right! I'm off on yet another adventure! I'm so excited to share that I will be traveling to Arcahaie, Haiti this August! As some of you know, before I decided to go to Africa I was originally working on going on this trip. While my sister Mia was in the hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan my family and I began to attend an amazing church! Knox (or to Ella the knock knock church) took us in the instant we arrived in Michigan and has helped my family out numerous times with many different things. While we were there I began to go to their youth group and have since then made many friends and have become close with a lot of the kids there. Unfortunately the first year I attended there I could not go on the Haiti trip because I was not yet a Junior or Senior. This year, however, is a different story! Not only will I be able to travel once again, but this time I will be with friends whom I've learned to really enjoy hanging out with and talking to! We will be in Haiti from August 1-8 and will be working with an organization there known as Children's Lifeline. ( To learn more about this organization click here. ) There are many things that we are, or could be, doing while there. Each assignment varies depending on the group. We could do anything from construction work to helping at a local orphanage.  I'm extremely excited for this trip and cannot wait to share all of my adventures with you when I return! As you can imagine we will need a lot of prayer, if you would like a specific prayer list please refer to the top of my page where it says Haiti Trip Prayer List and you will find many things that need attention. Thank you all so much for your support and I can't wait to talk to you all about this trip more as it gets closer!

Missing Africa and The Holy Spirit Giving Me A Lesson

It’s been exactly a month and two days since my return home. My heart still misses Africa with a great passion! I miss the people, the culture, the love, the faith….I miss everything! I’ve told many people here already that I liked it better over there than I do living here and that couldn’t be more true. The way they live in Burundi, though very difficult at times, was more pleasing to me. I love being close to my family and friends, but I also miss the amazing families I was with and their passion for their work! God has blessed us so much with many things we have here in the U.S. We can drink water without fear, we have the tools to save lives, we can eat whatever we want and so much more. To be rather honest, and not everyone will admit it, we take everything we have for granted. Not just every once in a while but every single day. Look at this post. What are you viewing it on? A computer? A smartphone? An iPad? How many times have you stopped to thank God for that simple electronic in your hand? Just think, what can you do with that thing? Communicate with the ones you love, keep track of the weather, stay caught up on the latest news, see what your friends are up to on Facebook and/or Twitter, email people far away, play games, write stories, watch videos…the list goes on. What about where you’re at? Home, the store, sitting in your car, at a restaurant, the bathroom, the office, at a friend’s house, laying in the sun…and once again the list goes on. I just named two very simple things that have to do with everyday life but to name another, water. It’s that simple, we drink water everyday, we need it to survive. We use it to shower, to brush our teeth, to cook, to clean things and to wash our dishes that we eat off of. Your sink produces clean water, while half way across the world they are trying to find ways to purify their water so they don’t die. Yes you read that right…so they don’t DIE. Think of all these things, we use them every day and think nothing of it. Well what if you woke up one day in Africa and realized all of this was gone? Would you cry? Would you be confused? Or would you take the time to thank God through the trial and learn how people live like that every day in Burundi. This is what I missed the most, the challenge. The simplicity of waking up every day and being thankful no matter what that day brings. They almost NEVER take things for granted. Mostly because they don’t have enough things to be that way, but also because they are so thankful that even though they are poor and go through many heartaches God still provides! Oh, how I miss the rejoicing in church as they sang their hearts out to Christ! Not in anger, or sadness, or turmoil, but in hope and joy. How many times can we honestly say that we have rejoiced during our challenges? Even small ones! I miss the way the people have joy no matter what. I truly hope that someday America can be like that, maybe even someday soon. Where we can all just stand together as the body of Christ and rejoice in the Lord through everything! I guess I got a little off track, but when the Holy Spirit nudges at you to share something it’s best that you listen. I hope sometime in the near future that I can return to Kibuye and once again be united with this amazing faith centered village. Urakotze(thank you) Kibuye for your amazing lessons! I miss you more than words can describe! ((I got an update on the mother and her twins. Below is a picture of our beloved mama and both of the babies. I last heard that the babies were gaining weight and were to go home soon! Thank you so much for your prayers! Please continue to pray for the premies born at Kibuye Hospital and for their mothers. They recently received their first incubator there and are able to help with the smallest of the babies. They will hopefully get another one soon! Praise God!))

Crooked Cornerstone

So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic. (Isaiah 28:16 NIV)

 

Today in Sunday School we talked about the cornerstone. Above is a verse that we went through together. Throughout the entire lesson I couldn't help but think of the cornerstone I had seen in Africa just last Sunday. (From my understanding the church in Kibuye is growing and so they are building another church building right next door!) After our Easter service we all went outside to go look at the cornerstone, only to find that it was pretty much crooked but that they still trusted it enough to continue building. 

      Throughout the Sunday school lesson today we pointed out the fact that in this imagery Christ is our cornerstone. Something to hold us up and to keep us grounded. As we discussed this we talked about how we were the church and how we needed that perfect cornerstone so we could be stacked upon each other like bricks. Well if you know me, you know that the wheels start turning in my head sometimes and I think a little outside the box. So I sat there and thought in depth about what they had said. Jesus is our perfect cornerstone but as bricks we will never be perfect. We will all be crooked, we may shift throughout the years, we will become cracked and start to decay. We should never think that without perfect bricks we can not be a perfect church. What makes us perfect is our cornerstone, Jesus. That is why no matter what shape we are in we will stack ourselves no matter what. We will have faith and know that though we may falter many times, our church will never fall because our cornerstone is the greatest thing to be built off of! Crooked bricks or not we must look to the cornerstone for support and He will provide it! Amen for that! 

Africa...**Sigh**

It has been two days since I arrived home, the memories of Africa are still fresh in my mind. I love being home, seeing my family every day, talking with friends, driving around places, but oh how I miss Africa...I truly fell in love with it while I was there. I constantly catch myself thinking about how different things would be if I were still there. I compare things daily, and though there are things here that I'm glad to come back to I miss the simplicity of living in Africa. No pressure to constantly have your phone, no buildings blocking gorgeous views, no cold weather, no selfishness, no distance from people. I find myself wanting to go back to habits I made while there. I want to walk up to everyone and shake their hand and say Amahoro, I want to eat some rice and beans, I want to go hang out with all the kids and put on a VBS with them, I want to hold Shiloh, I want to cut open a passion fruit, I want to walk around a village, I want to go visit the momma and her twins, I want to wake up to the sun shining and the birds singing. I think of things I want to do here but can't because the culture is just so different. I love the people here but have found that I love Africa more than America. My heart is longing to return already and I hope to someday! Until then I will continue to shine my light here and spend time with those who I love! It's been amazing being home and talking with my mom again as well as cuddling with my overjoyed sisters! I've entered back into my comfort zone and feel at peace! Thank you all for traveling prayers, everything went great! Thanks for listening to the yearning of a 17 year old girl who misses Africa! Goodnight all!

Goodbye Burundi....

Bonjour from Bujumbura, Burundi! I am here for tonight and tomorrow until I take flight tomorrow night! What an amazing trip it has been! So many people have told me not to fall in love while I'm here, but sorry guys, I already have. Not with anyone here but with Burundi itself. I've fallen for it's starry nights, it's sunshine, it's kids, it's people, it's friendliness and it's faith. I can honestly say that a part of me will be left here when I go. I've learned so much here and hope to one day come again for a visit! Until then, goodbye dear friend I've come to love you dearly. I shall miss you!

Today was a God-trusting day. I awoke and began my day with last minute packing. Our ride arrived early and a good thing too! We found that it did not have any seatbelts in it, and very little room for our luggage. With the hand of God on us we were able to access rope to tie down the carseats, fit everyone in a seat (no sharing needed till we picked up more passengers in Gitega,) and fit all our luggage in! We arrived in Bujumbura literally in time to unload the van then get into a car and drive off to lunch with another missionary family. After doing so we came home, relaxed for an hour or two, then joined the Bates, Willis and Fader families for a delicious dinner. We arrived home late and sent everyone to bed! We were exhausted! Bujumbura is so different then Kibuye, on more then one level.

Examples: It is hotter and way more humid here, even at night. There are tons more people and kids walking around. People constantly walk or run beside your vehicle trying to sell you things and men will whistle at you...a lot.

There are many more things to see here but I think I prefer Kibuye more. I felt so safe and at home there, where here I feel safe but it just doesn't feel like home to me. Tonight will be my last blog before I leave tomorrow night. I will fly from Bujumbura to Kenya, Kenya to Brussels, Brussels to Washington and Washington to Cleveland. Please pray for safe travels for all of us. We will all fly out together then we will say farewell to the Willis family in Brussels. I will then continue to Washington with the Baskin family then say goodbye to them as they fly back home. I will then have a 4 hour layover alone at Washington (so if you see a post on FB that I want to talk, or you get a text you will know why) and then fly to Cleveland! I don't get home until around midnight Monday night but am still excited to see my family! With that I bid you all goodnight as I climb under my mosquito net. I will also leave you with descriptions of the Baskin kids! Baskin kids: Jack: A funny 8 year old who likes to make you laugh. He loves telling jokes, catching lizards, riding bikes around the complex and holding his sister Shiloh. Hudson: A sweet 7 year old who loves animals. he loves catching lizards, frogs, grasshoppers...basically any bug! Seattle: A cute 5 year old who loves anything that makes her smile! She loves reading stories, playing on the Ipad, having people do her hair and smiling! Juliet: A spunky little 3 year old who has no problem in making herself heard! She loves climbing things, sining Frozen songs and giving random hugs out! Locksley: A quiet little 1 year old who only talks when she feels a need to. She loves eating...anything, running, swinging and following her siblings around! Shiloh: An adorable little 2 month old who caught my heart the second I saw her! She loves to be held facing out so she can see what's going on. She also loves when I sing her to sleep! She also loves saying 'Agoo"!

Crazy Weekend Here I Come!

To start off today's post I thought I would update you on the mother and twins I've been asking prayers for. Your prayers are working!! The mother is starting to produce more milk, it's still not enough, but it's more than what she originally was porducing. Everytime we've gone in there she has also had one baby skin to skin with her and the other skin to skin with her mother, so this is definitely good news! To add onto the good news we found out that both of their temps are much higher today! I almost cried I was so happy! Today was pretty calm, all the families have left for Bujumbura except for the Baskin family and me. It was a nice day and I got to cook with Becky which was a treat! This weekend will be a crazy one, I will wake up tomorrow and get ready for the day then at 9:30 a driver will pick us all up for our 2 and 1/2 hour trip down the mountain. When we arrive we will stay at The Cookie Cottage and hopefully go out to dinner with the Bond family as planned. We will then stay the night at the cottage. Sunday morning we will wake up and meet the Fader and Willis families at a local International church. Then go to a hotel on the beach for some lunch and swimming! Unfortunately I didn't bring a swim suit, but I will still be very thankful for the sand and the sun! Sunday afternoon the Faders will leave us to travel back to Kibuye and we will spend time with the Willis family. Then we will all head to the airport to start our journey home! So as you can see my weekend is crazy busy! A truely fun way to spend our last few days here though. Please pray for safe travels for all of us and that the kids do not get carsick on the winding roads! I hope to post one last blog tomorrow night but if I'm not able to I will see you all soon! I will end today's blog with descriptions of the Fader and Willis kids! Hopefully I'll get the ages right! If I don't I apologize ahead of time and please do not be afraid to post something in the comments to correct me! Goodnight all! Fader Kids: Anna: A motherly little 8 year old who loves watching out for others. She has a caring heart and a loving personality. She likes reading, cooking, gardening, and playing with Eika! She's a sweet thing who loves Miss Nina! Abi: A smiley 6 year old who is missing a few teeth! We call her the toothless wonder! She loves to talk, have people read stories to her, give hugs, hold hands, and giggle! Willis Kids: Eika: A sweet 10 year old who I've found a great friend in. She has a very friendly personality and I've loved hanging out with her! She loves watching movies, doing hair, having fun with Anna, making bracelets and helping her mom cook! Henry: A spunky 8 year old who has almost as much sass as I do! He may be sassy, but he's also sweet and helped with the younger kids when I needed him to! He loves candy, riding bikes, playing frisbee, making bracelets, handing out the bracelets, watching his dad work and pulling teeth! Eva: A cute little 4 year old who knows how to make you laugh! She loves movies, juice, cookies and having your attention! Jude: A tough little 3 year old who gives the greatest hugs! The first time I met Jude he was a bit shy but he has since warmed up to me! He loves playing with Henry, riding a bike, his mommy, sitting in peoples laps and giving Miss Nina hugs and telling her that he loves her!

A Challenging Day

Most of you are FB friends with me, but if you are not I posted something today that I would like you all to know about. My post read:

Hello everyone! I need your help today! I have some good news and some bad news that both include a lot of prayer involved. The good news is that: The mother of the twins who hasn't been producing a lot of milk is now starting to pump. With some help from Becky and I she is learning to properly care for her babies (pump, skin to skin contact for warmth etc...) Also another set of twins was sent home last night! This is great news and we rejoice that they were well enough to be cared for at home! The bad news is that: They lost two babies at the hospital last night. If you read my blog you remember the baby that I helped diagnose with Dr. Alyssa, the one with thrush. That one unfortunately did not make it. There was also another baby in that same room who did not last through the night. I ask that you pray and rejoice for the babies sent home and the babies still striving, but that you also keep the other mothers in your prayers as they mourn the loss of their newborns. I also ask that you continue to pray for the mother of the twins who is still left in the room. There is no one there with her and she seems lonely. I also ask that you pray for strength for Becky and I. We are trying our best to help this mother, but some things are not registering because the culture is so different here. It's also hard to be in that situation and saddens us, but we continue to trust in the Lord and know that His will, will be done! Thanks all! Love from Burundi !

So as you read above today was a big challenge for me. My heart broke for each family and rejoiced with them as well. We are helping as much as we can with the twins. They don't have incubators here so they've designed their own version of it. It's kind of scary for me to see because I fear even more for the health of the babies. Let me explain. An African incubator (that is what I've named it in my head) is a cardboard box with 3 or 4 blankets on the bottom, then the baby, then 3 or 4 more blankets, then the top is closed and another blanket on top. Now you can see where the fear comes from, the baby could sufficate! Unfortunately, this seems to be a very popular method here, but sometimes it works very well or so it seems since some babies were sent home. It is ideal that the babies maintain a normal temperature and not get to cold, which can be very hard to do with preemies, even in the states. We talked to the nurses today to find out what their temps were and we were shocked and a bit scared. The normal temperature for a preemie should be about 36.7-36.8 C (98.06-98.24 F.) These babies were both different temperatures, one worse than the other. One was 34 C (93.2 F) and the other was 35 C (95 F.) So as you can see we could not stress more that the babies should share skin to skin contact time with their momma, even while she was sleeping. The boxes might help a little bit but without their own body heat it won't do much. This skin to skin contact will help warm the baby as well as hopefully trigger the mother's body to produce more milk. We're trying to relay this message to her and so far she has been great at listening to our advice. We were able to visit twice today and also deliver some hard-boiled eggs. We're trying everything we can but the best thing we can do for her is pray and ask God to send this family some grace and hope. With that being said I leave you with lyrics to a song I sang last year with my touring choir! Goodnight all!

"Hope Is the Thing with Feathers" by Emily Dickinson written in the style of the song by Susan LaBarr Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all. Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all. And sweetest in the gale is heard; And sore must be the storm, That could abash the little bird That kept so many warm. I've heard it in the chillest land, And on the strangest sea. Yet never in extremity it asked a crumb of me. Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul. Hope never stops at all. Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops, and never stops, And never stops at all.

Last day of VBS and some goodbyes

Todays post will be short but full of lessons learned! Today was our last day of VBS. We talked about Superheroes and contimplated if Jesus was a superhero! We all decided that He is the greatest superhero of them all! His greatest superhero act is a tie between dieing for our sins and rising from the grave! Everyone seemed to love this lesson, especially the boys, and were saddened when they learned today was going to be our last day. There spirits perked up a bit though when I handed four Lifesaver candies to each kid. They were all sent back to their moms with a lot of sugar and crafts we did throughout our VBS journey together. It was a bitter sweet ending but I enjoyed every time that I spent with them! Today was the last day for me to see the Mclaughlin and Cropsey kids as well as Alyssa since they will all leave for Bujumbura tomorrow in order to catch a flight to Greece on Friday. It was a little sad, I've really connected with these kids. I've had the privelege to get to know each kid, what makes them happy, what makes them tick, what makes them sad, what they love or don't love. I've learned things about each kid and so tonight after this short paragraph I will start with my descriptions of each kid from the Mclaughlin and Cropsey families. Later on this week I will do the other kids. My favorite part of the whole day was probably that my little friend from the village once again came to the fence to say hello! The same little girl who walked beside me up to Kibuye rock, who shouted my name one Sunday afternoon at the park and who shouted hello from the other side of the fence yesterday once again came calling. As I walked back to "my house" I heard from the fence "Nina! Nina! Amahoro!" It warmed my heart! What a faithful little friend I've found in this girl, I only wish we could talk more! I so badly want to thank her for being such a great friend no matter how different I may seem to her. That dear friends is true friendship and probably one of the things Jesus was insinutating when He said we must have childlike faith. So that sums up my day here, this weekend will be very eventful, but we'll go into that another time! I will end with a goodnight and a description of each of the Mclaughlin and Cropsey kids! Mclaughlin kids: Maggie: A sweet little 4 year old who has a musical talent just like her parents. She loves to sing and dance and will wow you with her love of music! She is very friendly and loves to give me hugs. She likes candy,reading stories, playing on the computer, watching The Incredibles (Mr. Incredible is her favorite) doing crafts and spending time with her family. Ben: A cute little 3 year old who has an active side. He loves to ride the tricycle around the complex, run around with the girls, play football with me and play around with the other boys. He loves books just like his sister and looks up to her more than people think. Toby: An adorable little 1 year old who loves to cuddle! Every time I came near him he lifted his hands towards me so I would hold him. He loves playing the piano, listening to people sing, wearing my necklace, playing with peoples hair and grabbing at their jewelry. Cropsey kids: Elise: A beautiful little 7 year old who is the sweetest little thing! She can brighten your day no matter what mood you're in with just one smile! She loves barbies, playing with her friends, the movie Frozen, sitting with me, giving hugs and smiling! Micah: A tough little 5 year old who loves anything boyish. He loves star wars, playing rough, playing with dragons, messing with his sister and little brother, and telling stories during VBS! He may be a tough cookie but he has a sweet side that comes out a lot and makes you smile! Sam: A wild little 2 year old who is definitely not afraid of anything. He loves to run around, chase chickens, wander around outside the fence, play football, play with the boys, beat up Micah and talk Kirundi. He is definitely a wild child with a sweet side though. I loved watching him and found it humorous when he started teaching me Kirundi!

An Eventful Day

Hello everyone! I apologize for the delay in blogging. The power went out last night and unfortunately my laptop battery does not last long so I decided to skip on a post. Today the power is back on and working fine, well to the best of its ability! Today was a very eventful day, and one I will not forget for a really long time! The morning and afternoon were pretty much the same, wake up, watch kids, lunch, VBS, but this afternoon after VBS I went to visit Rachel and while she played some of my touring choir music on the piano I sang along. I've been practicing as much as I can but still finding it a bit difficult to learn without my lovely choir friends singing along with me. This helped me so much and it was great to join in song with her! After my singing sesion I walked over to the hospital with Locksley, Shiloh, Becky and Jack. Jack and I passed out coloring pages and crayons to some of the kids in traction. It was a moment full of happiness and yet sadness, it was great to be able to give each kid a page and crayon and watch them look at it curiously. It was sad in a way undescribable also, they didn't know what to do with it. They stared at it until I took a crayon and showed them what to do, and after that they would only color a section and think they were done. American kids don't need to be taught what to do with it, because it's part of our culture it comes naturally. Yet here are these kids, sitting in a bed for weeks on end while their bones heal not knowing what to do, when us white people come with something so strange that they almost don't want to touch it. I literally had to show the kids what to do with them and have a translator tell them what to do. The smallest things, that we see everyday, are foreign to the people here. The hospital here is so different, I can't stop comparing things and it saddens me. Yet, among the saddness you find rays of hope. Hope that is laced throughout this hospital, this community, this country. Unending hope that their God will still be beside them no matter what. It really has strengthened my faith, more than one can imagine. These people who are completely different are actually the same as me. Just a soul borrowing an earthly body soon to be reunited with our glorious creator! These people have taught me so much and I've grown to love them and their teachings. The little kids that come up to touch your skin, the babies who sometimes cry because they've never seen a white person before, the women who love to hold your children, the young men who make sure the kids don't bother you to much, the people who speak English and take time to talk to you, the people who help you learn new Kirundi words, the people who help you and your family get stuff together, the people who are nonstop kind to you no matter what your skin color. They fascinate me and show me love daily. A love I've never known before. I've met so many kind people, language isn't a barrier, it's a connector. A connector that brings people together in curiosity. These people have shown faith in ways I've never seen before and daily amaze me with their commitment to Christ! Thank you God! Well that somes up my Holy Spirit lesson today! Below are some things I would like you all to pray for! Goodnight all!

"Sometimes your heart breaks, but it is in those moments that you feel the hands of God holding it together." -Nina Wilson Asking prayers for the people here in Burundi, but specifics prayers for 3 people: 1. A set of NICU twins, they were born premature. Their mother is not supplying enough milk for both of them so prayers that there stomachs would be full of God's kindness and love. 2. A woman whose face was burned off. She went through surgery today so they could try and save one of her eyes. Pray that she never loses sight of our God's grace. 3.The kids in traction, they do not have legitimate casts here and surgery is not always an option. Therefore they are taken to a room and stay in bed with a wrapped leg, arm, hand,wrist..etc. for weeks upon weeks. Pray that when it's all over they still walk in the ways of the Lord. Much love from Burundi!

Happy Easter!!

Happy Easter everyone! Todays entry will be short, but full of fun! Today was a great day and though I missed my family I did not miss any of the other Easter things. My Easter focused around the ressurection only and not around Easter bunnies or candy. You can find a few kids with suckers, but other than that it's not real common for kids to recieve a lot of sweets. After a 3 and 1/2 hour church service (the longest service I've ever attended!) we made our way back to the houses. Upon arrival I found out that Alyssa was delivering milk to some babies, so I tagged along. Instead of coloring with kids in peds, like I had planned to do earlier, I quickly followed Alyssa to the maternity section of the hospital. We arrived in a room with 4 mattresses spread across the floor, 5 moms and 8 babies (2 sets of twins.) Not only had I been taken to the maternity ward, but was taken to the premie section. We delivered the milk and then checked on the other babies. As Dr. Alyssa held one the mother explained that the baby had white stuff in its mouth. Alyssa showed Eva and I and said it was thrush. Before she could say anymore I responded with "Oh! She needs Nistatin! Mia takes that!" After diagnosing the baby one of the mothers handed me another baby. It was the smallest thing, I didn't hold it long because I feared I would break it with one wrong move. It was so incredibly tiny, and innocent, and sweetly asleep. It was angelic and it literally brought tears to my eyes! After I returned the baby we all filed out of the room and went to put in a perscription for Nistatin. Later in the evening all the families got together for a huge potluck with great food and some awesome worship! Then I got to call and talk to my mom! So as you can see my Easter was very meaningful and I will never forget it! Hope you all had a great Easter! He is Risen!!

'Twas The Night Before Easter......

I will gladly tell you of the days events, they were all great! Except maybe the last one, this event is so special that I did a spin off of a classic story just for you to read! So sit back, relax and enjoy a story of an event that Hannah, Eika, Henry, Jude, Eva, Anna and I were a part of!

"'Twas The Night Before Easter." 'Twas the night before Easter, and all through the schoolhouse. Creatures were stirring, but no, not a mouse. The books were stacked high on the desks with care, in hope that some students would soon be there. Some sleeping bags and blankets were folded neatly on beds. While visions of our day danced in our heads. And Hannah with Jude and I with my light. Had walked all the kids down to bid them goodnight. When on the front porch there arose such a clatter my flashlight sprang up so I could see what was the matter. Up to the steps I flew in a dash, I stood there astonished and let out a gasp! The light on the edge of the steps began to shine, while we all stood there gaping Eika let out a cry. When what to my wondering eyes a picture did spring, a million tiny bugs each one with wings. The open door was surrounded left and right, from the wondering termites who decided to visit that night. More rapid than eagles they all flew around, then we noticed that they were scattered all on the ground. "Oh Hannah, Oh Henry, Oh Eika, Oh Jude! Oh Eva, Oh Anna! Oh what will we do? From the front of the porch to the kitchen wall, now smash them! Smash them! Smash them all!" As falling leaves from the tree they began to fly, and tried to escape to the evening sky. To the top of the books and the fly swatters they flew, while we smashed we began brooming them too. Then from the corner I heard a small scream, for Jude was pointing to one on his chair with his light's beam. As i drew in a breath while turning around, I saw many more close by and began to frown. They were all dressed with grossness from head down to foot, and their bodies were small and the color of soot; four sets of wings were attached to their back. And each of their lives ended as my swatter fell with a WHACK! Their eyes were so big, their bodies so small, we smashed them. Yes, we smashed them all. As I walked away from our triumphant bug fight, I whispered " Happy Easter to all, and to all a bug free night!"

So as you can see from the story it was an eventful night at the Willis house! It was gross but we all made it through! Thankfully the light was only left on in the kitchen so the termites stayed in there and did not wander into the bedrooms. The rest of the day was pretty great! There was a morning full of Easter egg hunts and egg dying. Then most of us, some stayed behind unfortunately, packed up for a car ride to go see a waterfall! It was an amazing sight! I got a great picture of the sun shining on the waterfall and a rainbow showing through! I tried to upload it, but the signal here wouldn't allow it. We hiked a small distance and were able to see three waterfalls! It definitely was a sight to behold! On our way back we got stuck in the mud, but fortunately there were two truckloads of people that got out to help push! So overall it was a very eventful day! Hope you all have a great Easter! I'll post again tomorrow!

My Good Friday Post

"How Deep The Father's Love For Us" How deep the Father's love for us, How vast beyond all measure That He should give His only Son To make a wretch His treasure How great the pain of searing loss, The Father turns His face away As wounds which mar the chosen One, Bring many sons to glory Behold the Man upon a cross, My sin upon His shoulders Ashamed I hear my mocking voice, Call out among the scoffers It was my sin that held Him there Until it was accomplished His dying breath has brought me life I know that it is finished I will not boast in anything No gifts, no power, no wisdom But I will boast in Jesus Christ His death and resurrection Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer But this I know with all my heart His wounds have paid my ransom

Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for your wonderful and unending love. Words cannot even describe how unworthy we are. We are so undeserving, yet you love us anyway. You love us so much that you sent your only son. Not just to minister to us, but to literally pour out his blood and take his last breath for the sake of our lives. In his darkest hour you turned your face from him so that in our darkest hour you could turn your face towards us. You sent a saviour, a perfect son, to take on flesh and walk the life of a man. To teach us about you and your kingdom, to teach us your ways, and to bring us closer to you. He came, he taught us, he loved us, he comforted us, he opened his arms to us, he accepted us and yet died because of us. No words can fathom how great of a love that is. As we reflect on this Good Friday, we ask that you open our ears to hear you, open our eyes to see you and open our hearts to accept your love. No matter how undeserving we may feel. We thank you for your love, your comfort and your sacrifice. In your great and holy name. Amen

A Rainy Day

Today was another rainy day. It rained on and off all day, mostly on, but we did have a break in the weather towards dinner time. The kids loved it so much! Anna, Elise, Abi and Eika all put on their bathing suits and played out in the rain. I took lots of pictures and you can deifnitely tell by the look on their faces that they were all having a good time! Since today was the last VBS before Easter I decided to do something really fun for everyone! So while I read stories about Jesus' birth, miracles, death and ressurection, I had the adults hide a note and sucker for each kid! Then after our stories we marched down to the school house and started our hunt! Each kid was to find a piece of paper with their name on it. Every paper had a note inside wishing them a happy Easter and naming a few things I loved about them. Each note also included a Tootsie Pop! The hunt was a success and all the kids were happy! After they each gave me a hug so they could get a Lifesaver (that's the deal, they have to hug me before they get one ;) ) and then all sat in a cirlce. They each named something they learned at VBS throughout the two weeks to earn yet another Lifesaver! It was a great time and I loved seeing all their smiles! A little while after the hunt we had an Easter movie! It was good to wind down and relax with some popcorn and a nice Veggie Tales classic! Today for lunch I made some homemade salsa, with some help from Hannah's magical salsa seasoning! It came out great and we ate most of it for lunch! Since it was a rainy day I also found it appropriate to make some of my moms hot cocoa for Becky, Heather and myself. It came out great and everyone loved it! Later on I graciously gave Anna the recipe and her and Eika both made some for themselves as well as Abi and there was even some more for Heather! I told my mom that her hot cocoa is becoming Burundian famous! Well this weekend will definintely be one to remember! Expect some awesome posts! Love you all!!

Hopsital tours and Thunderstorms

Hi all! There wasn't much to post about yesterday so I thought I would hold off until I had some things to tell you about! Today was like any other day around here, except for a few things which I'll quickly list then bid you all goodnight! So here we go! I had a hospital tour today. It's amazing how much they do even with the small access to things that they have! It truly was a sight to behold and trust me, I did a lot of comparing with MOTT Hospital and this one! I even got to see some of the kids! Tomorrow I might possibly go over to the Pediatric center with Dr. Pfister and color with some of the kids, nothing is set in stone so I'm not 100% sure but there is still a chance that I might. I hope I can! I would love to do it and I'm sure the kids would love it too! I played football today with one of the older boys (Jackson) and also watched a movie with the older Willis kids (Henry and Eika.) It was great to have some one-on-one time with these kids! I get to learn something about them everyday and love them all dearly! Last but not least, there was a thunderstorm! Now if you know me, you know that I'm the type of person who will either sit in her garage or open her window just to hear the rain. The thunder here is so different than how it is back at home. It seems to be much louder and much longer! It's crazy but also amazing! I enjoyed the storm very much and loved listening as the rain fell onto our tin roof! It was music to my ears! Hope you all are doing well!!

Questions Answered

((Warning: If you have a weak stomach you may want to skip the first paragraph. Lets just say a group of guests had fresh chicken for lunch...)) First off an update on my allergies! They're so much better today! Thank you Lord! I was still a little stuffy in the morning but throughout the day it got better! It was great! This morning I experienced something that was a first for me. I watched someone chop a chickens head off. Surprisingly some of the kids watched it too, and continued to watch as its guts were pulled out, it was boiled, plucked and then cooked. I didn't watch that long. It was very weird for me to watch but some of the kids are so used to watching it that it didn't seem to bother them at all. Life is so different for the kids here! At there age I would've cried watching that! It kind of gave me multiple feelings ranging from, "Ew thats gross!", "Oh, that's how they do that!" , "Is this how the did it back in bible times?" to "I can't believe these kids aren't bothered by this!" It really gave me a perespective on how God gave us animals to eat and how gracious He is to even provide animals here for people to eat, even if they do it a little differently then we do. Today I thought I would answer some questions that either my mom or my friends have asked! So let's go over some things together! 1. What's the weather like? The weather here is beautiful! You always wake up to warm temperatures and beautiful sunshine! Throughout the day it starts to get pretty hot, but by mid-afternoon rain comes to save the day and cools the temp. back down again! It's great for me because I love the rain just as much as I love the sun! 2. What are the food and drinks like? Everything here is pretty much made from scratch. They don't have a lot of variety like we do in America but to me the food is so much better here! The bread is absolutely amazing! For the people who really know me you know that I am not a bread person, at all, but here I eat bread every day! Even by itself! It's so yummy! I plan on getting a recipe to bring back home with me so I can make some for my family. I know my mom will love it! Most meals consist of something with rice. Beans, veggies, stir fry, peas..etc. It's very yummy and very filling! There isn't a lot of meat here, you see chicken every once in a while but it's not something you eat daily. I have found that I don't like the milk here at all, it's all natural and is to cowy (Is that a word? Well it is now!) I'll take my fat free, skim American milk back please! I have been drinking a lot of water, which is a very big accomplishment for me. I will admit that I cheat though...I add flavoring to every bottle of water I drink, but hey at least I'm staying hydrated! Surprisingly enough there is also soda here so every once in a while I will grab a Fanta or a Coke. It tastes the same, just comes in a glass bottle instead. 3. Do they have running water? Is it clean? So the water here is somewhat clean as far as I know. It's still not clean enough to drink though so we have a filter system for clean drinking water. We still can shower with it, although it doesn't get hot at all. We usually heat up water on the stove and use that for showers to guarantee it's hot. 4. How's the power? Does it go out a lot? The power has been pretty good so far, it goes out sometimes but it doesn't seem to go out for long. The WiFi here is alright, it's way better in the morning/afternoon since all the med. students aren't usually on then. It sometimes takes up to 45 mins. just to get to my email at night! It's still worth it! 5. How do you do laundry? So they have helpers around that house that clean, cook, do dishes and other odd jobs. We usually put all our laundry in a bucket and they hand wash it for us. They then hang it on a clothes line at the back of the complex for the sun to dry it. The only problem with this is that when it starts to rain everyone has to dash outside to save the laundry before it is soaked through. There is a washer and dryer here but they don't use it much, it's best to use as little power as possible. 6. What is something that has happened that you've least expected? Probably all of the staring, I mean I knew there weren't a lot of white people here but I had no idea that we would be entertainment for people everywhere we go. It's kind of uncomfortable but at the same time nice to see that they're just as interested in you as you are in them. Another thing is probably how good the food is, I don't know what I expected but it wasn't this. The food has been much better then I thought it would be! 7. How's VBS going? Do the kids like it? VBS is going fabulous! The kids love it and throughout the day constantly ask when VBS will start! It's great! 8.What's your favorite thing about Burundi? The Burundian kids! They are all just so cute and ,unlike the adults, are not afraid to follow you around and say hello and ask your name. They also willingly reach up for your hand and hold it and/or sit on your lap. They love having there pictures taken and they giggle at you a lot. They're so sweet! They melt my heart with there smiles and hugs! It's great! It makes me think of the passage in the Bible:

Matthew 19:14 "Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.""

If you have any more questions please feel free to either comment below or email me! Thanks all! Goodnight!!

Kira! (bless you)

So today was very different from all the other days I've experienced here. I woke up with a headache, sore throat and nonstop sneezing! Thankfully we don't think it's a cold it seems to be allergies. I've been taking my allergy medicine but as you can imagine Africa allergens are quite different then allergens at home! I had some tea which helped my throat, took an Advil for my headache and learned to talk between sneezes. Thankfully I'm surrounded by doctors who know what to do! After realizing my allergy medicine wasn't doing much for me I consulted with Jason Fader who gave several ideas. I've tried two of the three and am right at this moment on the trial period for #3. Lets hope this one works and I don't have any more miserable allergy days! Once again though, through my personal storm, God has shown me the rainbow. Today my allergies have taught me a lot. They've taught me patience as well as thankfullness. Imagine the diseases all of the kids here go through, many of them younger then me! It's amazing and I'm so thankful to be a part of this family of medical doctors who have commited their lives to saving others lives. I truely am starting to feel like part of their big family and am so honored to be welcomed into it! It gives you a sense of comfort and relief. You don't feel alone and like you're the only one clinging to Christ. All of you are clinging to Him together and I get to witness that every day! I've found that every living second on this earth is a learning experience, you just have to pay attention and keep your eyes on the true teacher! In between my sneezing I was also able to pay attention to some details of things! 1. People are so friendly here! There were two Africans that came by to help with some things and even though they did not know me they still took time to stop and in English say "good evening." I never realized how much it means when someone actually takes time to learn your language, even if it is simple things. Now I get a sense of how they feel when I try to speak to them in their language! 2. Today one of the doctors was talking about some patients they've had experience with where they have to play the part of physical or occupational therapy for. Just those two simple things! My sister gets this weekly and there are kids here that have to rely on family for it! Truely eye opening! 3. The complex I stay at is stationed next to apartments that belong to med. students. As you can imagine they get a little loud at night, usually listening to music, talking, shouting, laughing, singing and many other things! Tonight as I was sitting at my computer I couldn't help but also zone into the music they were listening to. After some time the songs changed and I realized they were listening to Justin Bieber. It was funny for me, it was still in English but I just can't mentally picture these people walking around singing Justin Bieber! Don't we have enough people doing that in America? Ugh! So as you can see I definitely had a different experience today, some ups and some downs but thats life! One big roller coaster that God built for us. We just need to hang on and enjoy the ride!! Goodnight!!

An Interesting Day

1 Chronicles 16:24

"Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples."

((Attention: There are several Kirundi words in this post, I do not know if they are all spelled right. I apologize in advance for any spelling errors!))

I have never felt so humbled before. Experiencing church here was amazing, even with the language barrier you could feel the spirit moving! Today was palm Sunday and just like at home they had palm branches. Instead of having the children walk with them they handed them to the choir members. They all walked up to the front and sang songs of praise to our Lord and Savior while they waved branches around. Everyone was so joyous and in awe at church, for people who have so little they still have so much. Walking in you would never think of all the awful things these people have been and are going through. Through all the pain they come together truely as one. They are a great vision of the body of Christ. Even as us Mzungu (Mah-Zoon-Goo), this means white people in Kirundi you hear it often when we interact with them, entered they all just smiled. There was some staring because there is a big group of us but they still welcomed us into there service and continued to praise God without any judgement. Many of the sweet little Burundian children sang their hearts out, with true meaning and without falter. The music, oh the music, it was enchanting. Though I couldn't understand some of the songs, hearing them was just as great. They really get into their praise and worship. I can't wait till next Sunday so that I can take my camera and film them singing! Today after church some of the adults and kids from our group went to the local field to play frisbee. As we were doing that there was a HUGE soccer game going on! (and I mean H-U-G-E HUGE!) Not only was basically the entire community there to watch, but there were also people who drove a bus full of others to come watch as well. There were hundreds of people! It was great to see how into the game they were! Try and imagine your husband or dad and how he is when it comes to football, now think of that times 10 when it comes to Africans and their soccer! While many of the adults were occupied watching the game most of the teens and children were watching our group play frisbee. Some of you may know this already, but I am one of those people that doesn't participate in sports. I would much rather sit and watch! So as I was watching the frisbee game I had some very interesting interactions! They are listed below: 1. A group of children came up asking for bracelets (some of the Willis kids had given bracelets out the other day to a couple of the village kids and word got around, unfortunately they ran out of bracelets :/ ) I had to try and explain in Kirundi that we didn't have any. This involved me pointing at my own bracelet and saying Oya (no) over and over again until I think they understood and walked away. 2. Another group of children came up to me, pointed at my skin, said Mzungu and tried to start a conversation with me. I had to switch to French and let some of the older kids know that I didn't really speak Kirundi. I felt bad not being able to talk with the kids but there really wasn't anything I could do about it! 3. An older woman came up to me out of habit I said ' Amahoro Niswah (Nee-Sah-Wah)" which translates 'peace, are things ok?' which she then responded with "Niswah" which can also mean 'things are ok' (Kind of like the Ca va? Ca va. concept in the French language.) She then proceeded to grab my wrist and twist my bracelet around looking for the clasp. I had to pull my wrist away and say Oya several times! I love my bracelet but I don't think wearing it will be the best option for the rest of the trip. It's a beautiful silver bracelet with Ohio, Michigan and Africa charms placed on it. My parents got it for me before I left. I love it to pieces but must part with it so that it isn't taken. 4. There were two teen guys watching the frisbee game, they slowly approached me. One started speaking Kirundi while the other spoke to me in English. He said "you come here." I explained that I couldn't and must stay with my group. They just smiled laughed and walked away. 5. This final one was during half time. Of course, as you can probably imagine, we are stared at alot because white people aren't usually found here. When it was half time guess where all those watchers ended up? You guessed it! They all quickly surrounded us. To the point where all of us were in the middle of one giant African circle! That is when we decided to leave, not because we were uncomfortable, but because we could no longer play the game without risk of hitting someone with a frisbee! 6. Oh! I almost forgot! Remember that little girl I talked about? The one who walked up to Kibuye rock beside me? I was able to see her again today and surprisingly enough she remembered my name! It was the sweetest thing! She quickly ran up with her friends coming right behind her. She approached me and shouted "Nina! Nina!" It definitely put a smile on my face! On a side note, it was great to talk to my mom on the phone today! I really missed her! I even got a hello from the girls which was nice! We talked for a while and got to catch up, it was great to hear all their voices! I will admit that when I had to say goodbye and hang up I broke down. Thats another thing I've learned on this trip, sometimes you just have to let it all out. In those moments of hurt you feel yourself clinginging closer to the Lord. I've definitely been talking to Him a lot more since I've been here! It reminds me of the song Blessings by Laura Story so with that I leave you these lyrics to read! Goodnight all!

"'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops? What if your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you're near? What if trials of this life are your mercies in disguise?"

Some Thoughts and Some Fun!

Amahoro!! It was yet another great day! Today we packed up and went to Gitega to do some shopping! We left some of the kids behind with some dads who were willing to watch them and got some time to explore this interesting place! The stores here are so different then back home and it was fun to see how they work. The one thing that surprised me most was that one of the owners was willing to let her employee leave work to get on a motorcycle and show us the way to the orphanage we were going to see. It was very kind of her to do so and we really appreciated it!I also noticed that while we were shopping if our basket became full they would come up to you, take your basket to the register, empty it and then return it to you. The workers also put everything in a box after the cashier rang it all up and carried out to the van. We also had someone pump our gas and carry out our pop crates! In America there are few to no stores who would be willing to do that, once you're employed there you stay there. If someone needs help to get somewhere you either tell them to use mapquest, their GPS or you tell them directions they have to try and remember. If they need help with something, you help them, but only to a point. I wonder if businesses would be more connected with customers and be more loved if all of them were nice enough to lend their employees to help others? Just something to think about! Being here has really opened up my eyes to how selfish and time oriented us Americans are. I will admit that I can be that way a lot as well! The people here have no sense of time, they walk along the roads at whatever speed they please saying hello to everyone they pass by. They stop to talk to friends and/or family. Many workers help their customers in ways you've probably never experienced and owners take time to learn several languages so they can communicate with everyone who comes up to the register. Once again I can't help but wonder how much better businesses would be if we all took time to do that. After we shopped we made our way to a local childrens orphanage. It was great to have a tour, hand out bracelets and meet many of the wonderful children that were there! I made friends with an especially cute little boy named Benny who was about 4. He even let me take his picture which he giggled in delite at! Watching the volunteers definitely made me think about my dream to work at an orphanage in Haiti after graduation! I could definitely see myself in their place! On the way home I was able to have a very good conversation with Heather and Hannah and tell them about my incredible family! I explained how both my mom and dad have encouraged and supported me as well as fueled my passion for what I feel led to do! It was great to share stories and such. We also talked about adoption on the way home, it was a great conversation and gave me some insight on the part of a parent in an adoption. I'm still excited for the day that I can adopt, its always been something I've wanted to do and it was great to talk and ask questions about it! So as you can see today was pretty productive! Thank you Lord for surrounding me with these amazing people and giving me this awesome experience!

Cute, Funny and a Little Challenging

Today was another adventure, just like any other day of life. Today we hiked up to Kibuye rock. This rock overlooks the entire hospital as well as our apartments. It was quite a hike with many of the kids with us. I carried Locksley on my back while Becky carried Shiloh, Hannah carried Juliette and Hank carried Jude. You can imagine how sweaty and gross we all were once we reached the top! Either way it was still a beautiful sight! On our way up there we attracted quite a group of little friends, some of them are pictured above. The girl in the front walked beside me for most of the time. She even asked my name and told me her name. I would love to tell you her name so I'm going to attempt to spell it! Her name was Eellnewl. As we walked she spoke something in Kirundi and pointed at the bracelet my parents had gotten me before I left. I asked her if she liked it and her face lit up and she responded with "ego" which means yes in Kirundi (and yes it is pronounced just like Ego Waffles!) She continued to walk beside me and I asked her for a photo, she said yes and before I knew it there were many other kids behind her. After I took the picture they all wanted to see it and once they viewed it they all started laughing! It was very funny to see there reactions! I also got a picture of a cute little boy while we were up on the mountain, I would have loved to upload it but it took nearly 30 minutes for the picture above to upload so I will upload it with the rest when I get home! It was great to get out and see more of Kibuye's amazing views and people, but today was a little challenging for me to. I've gotten to the point where I've been here for a few days and am more comfortable with my surroundings. The only thing missing is my family. Everyone in my group has there entire family, husband, wife, kids and all and my family isn't here to enjoy this with me. It makes me sad but I know that they're always with me in my heart and that it will be an even bigger joy when I return home to them to share stories! I love that my laptop has been working and that I at least am still able to email with them! I've also enjoyed opening letters from them. Mom had everyone write a few before I left and then labeled them so I had one each morning to open! It's been great! Well I'm off to eat dinner! Thank you all for the emails and comments you've left! God Bless from Burundi to you!

Lets Talk :)

As some of you may or may not know my FB and AOL accounts are not working. If at anytime you would like to get ahold of me please contact my mom for my other email :) I love waking up to see my inbox full of emails from family and friends :) I would love to stay in contact with you while I'm gone! Thanks so much!

have you HERD what goes on in the Kibuye park?

Hello everyone!! Today was a great day in Kibuye, as usual! We all had a great time together and got to go on a bit of an adventure today. After VBS was finished Heather Fader and I took some kids over to the local field. You would not believe how many people were there! They had sports games set up in every corner! There was soccer, bike riding, volleyball and many other things. Right in the middle of it all was a herd of cattle. That was definetly interesting and it fascinated the kids! I will have to admit though, the kids at the park seem more interested in us then the cattle walking around them. Probably because they're used to it! Henry and Eika started doing cartwheels and head-stands and soon enough there was a huge crowd of kids surrounding us and giggling. They would talk/whisper amongst themselves and then turn back to us to watch. We were the center of attention! It was cool to see how intrigued they were! As we were walking back a group of boys stopped Henry and asked for his name, and then some older girls went up to Seattle and asked for her name. After walking away I couldn't help but ask Mrs. Fader if that was one of the only things they really knew how to say in English. Her reply was "Yes they say it all the time. They also know good morning, since they know it they tend to say it to you no matter what time of day it is." I found this ammusing, just as I am trying to learn at least some of the basics of their language (hello, goodbyee, thank you) they are also trying to learn mine! It's great that even though to a point we are seperated both of us knows that truely we aren't. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ just trying to strike up a conversation no matter what the language!

Lessons learned

Hello all! Just a short update! I did my first day of VBS with the kids, it went fantastic! All of the children are so sweet and it's great to see all the different personalities coming together! I learned an important lesson today, a lesson of child-like faith. Our VBS today was on fear and after discussing what we were all afraid of I read a few Bible verses and asked some questions. Wihtout hesitation they were all able to answer each one. It really amazed me at how much they had taken in the verse and really listened to it and understood the meaning. I think sometimes as Christians we are so used to hearing verses that we don't take them to heart. We listen to them but don't think of the meaning of them every time we hear them. We skim over them in books and tell ourselves we've heard it a million times. I think we need to read them every time with the interest and understanding of a child. These kids amaze me more and more everytime I see them, which is pretty much every second of everyday since I've been here :) All of the families here are amazing and I've definitely connected with all of them in different ways. I seem to have a strong connection with Becky Baskin. I think it's because she reminds me of my mom a lot. I've spent most of my time helping her with her kids so I've had some time to get to know her. It's been great! Her kids, there are 6 of them, all feel like siblings to me and all seem to really enjoy my company! Everyone else has also been great to get to know and connect with as well! It's so great to be surrounded by such God loving people! Well I'm off to bed! Hope all of you have a great rest of the day! Goodnight from Burundi!

An update and some messy spelling and grammar......

((Attention: I apologize ahead of time for messy grammar, spelling and anything else that may be out of place. This update was quickly typed so that I could update you all as soon as I got WiFi. Therefore it was written late at night. Please excuse my mess ups, I promise to be better next time! Thanks!)) Amahoro from Burundi! I've finally made it to my destination! It was a long plane ride, but everyone still arrived in Bujumbura in good spirits! After staying the night there, my first experience with a musquito net, we got up bright and early and packed up for the long car ride ahead. Then we all parted ways, I headed out with the guys and kids (minus the Willis family.) We made our way up the twisty mountains to Kibuye. The ride was long but very enjoyable! The views were beautiful, the people were intriguing, and many smiles were shared between us through the windows. After arriving in Kibuye we were all shown to our rooms and unpacked some things, a little while after the moms and the Willis family joined us. We all hung out together and were introduced to everyone here! You can definintely feel the spirit of God working in this place and I'm so blessed to have this experience and be a part of it. I've learned a lot of things already form this trip and can't wait for more of Gods wonderful teachings! Listed below are somethings I've learned. Before I close with these things I would like to let you all know that my updates will be very brief, and not every day, we lose power here almost every day and as you can imagine I'm busy with kids, families and helping out any way possible. I would also like to point out that because of the poor wifi I will not be able to post pictures, I will get all of them to you after the trip and will make sure to include a post about how to view them! Thank you all for understanding and for your prayers! Now, without further ado, the things I've learned so far! 1: There is a different kind of clean here! When asked when the kids take a bath the childrens responses were "about once a week, or every two weeks." Of course, me being an american girl who can barely go a day without a shower, was kind of struck by this. I couldn't imagine doing that, especially as a child, you play outside all day in the red dirt making bricks from it for fun. Chasing around chickens, catching toads and making a mess! Then I remembered where I was, and how different things are here. Sometimes being clean isn't what it's all about, I mean don't get me wrong I'm not always shiny and clean, but I like to try and be. Germs bother me a lot and sanitizer is probably used more on my hands then lotion is. Here they don't live that way, and I think of started to accept that. I may not be used to the fact of showering only once a week, but I can respect them for that and for conserving water. So next time my mom asks me to shower I can pull the "I only showered once a week in Burundi and its dirtier there then it is here!" excuse ;) 2: DO NOT DRINK THE WATER! Every time I'm thirsty I can't just go get a drink, I have to make sure I get it from the filter and that it's clean. If I don't drink the filtered water i could get extremely sick. not only do I have to watch out for myself, but I try to watch the children too. I would rather get sick then have one of them sick so I try to make sure they don't accidently get water from the tap. This can be stressful since I'm definitely not used to this and one little slip up can ruin your week! 3:Language Barriers: It's different not being able to communicate with everyone here, the only thing I can say to them is Hi. When they try to continue the conversation I politely ask them if they speak english. Most do not so I leave it to the adults to converse and I just politely say Amahoro and shake their hand. Maybe as time goes along i can learn more words and try to talk with some people here :) 4: Cars: I've found that a large group of white people in a van traveling up the hills to Kibuye is quite the treat for Burundians. They are so interested in us that they don't even pay attention to what they're doing. They simply look at you amazed and sometimes give a smile or a wave. It's kind of like a 2-way looking glass. They study you since you are new to them and you study them right back. In one second you both make eye contact and briefly smile, then go on with whatever it was you're doing. I've found that the men are very hard workers and the women here love babies! 5: Culture: Though we all seem very different, I can't truely see the differences. We are all children of God, different skin, different language, different driving techniques, it doesn't matter. We are all one body, one heart beating, one voice rising together to praise our creator. Some people don't see it that way and some just need to open their eyes. That is something we struggle with daily in America, more and more people make racist jokes and talk down on different colored kids. Here in this place, the africans embrace us. With every turn they've helped us, whether it be loading up luggage, unloading luggage, childcare, cooking, cleaning, laundry, you name it. Even if we can't really speak with them they are here to help. If only we could be that way in the U.S. we can definitely learn from this culture. Especially the servant's heart part of it.