This past weekend, I spent 48 hours in a state of bliss…
surrounded by beauty…
photo from jo-lynne
surrounded by a group of inspiring women…
another photo by jo-lynne
with no kids, no husband… just me…
Getting pampered…
photo by jo-lynne
I can’t wait to tell you all about it.
But for now, I’m focusing on my kids. Who started throwing up last night.
Welcome home, Mom.
(okay – semi-wordless) A friend sent us these pictures from Haiti, ones that actually have my husband in them!
The fact that he spent his vacation doing this confirms that I married the most amazing guy on earth.
My husband made it home safely from Haiti – thank you to everyone who sent thoughts and prayers! He had a wonderful trip and eventually we will sort through the over 2000 pictures and share a few more with you. The kids are beside themselves with excitement that Daddy is home and have barely left his side. Husband is thoroughly enjoying the comforts he missed while in Haiti, like hot showers and food other than rice and beans.
This trip has been a huge challenge for our whole family. The kids were a little shocked by the pictures he took. Seeing children whose parents had died, who have no shoes, torn clothes, and no toys, children who get one meal a day and sleep in a tent on rocky ground, seeing their school (also a tent) and their bathroom (lets not go there) and the general level of poverty has shaken all of us to the core. Its so easy to forget what parts of the world are like… We're praying about how we can help and do more.
My husband has been in Haiti for a few days now and will be there all week. He is in Mirebalais with a group from our church. While I normally don't share when he is gone, this seems to important not to. Here's what they've shared so far…
"It's an unforgettable scene here unlike anything you can imagine…. tents and tents everywhere, buildings still in rubble, and poverty like I've never seen… literally everywhere. Please pray for safety and health as well as for God to lead us to what He wants us to see and do. It's really heartbreaking to see the people here esp. the children. Please pray that God would give our team a glimpse of His heart that breaks for the Haitian people who are suffering."
"Sunday afternoon, we visited an orphanage (just to add to the emotion of the day!) We didn't know what to expect but, though it was sad to see, it was good to see how God had provided for the little ones. Several months ago, the kids were all sleeping on the floor, but recently, they all received sturdy bunk beds (leftover from Hurricane Katrina relief efforts)."
"And, the kids are being loved and cared for by the staff. Before, there was only one pastor's wife who took care of all the kids and they sometimes had no food on the table. Today, God opened various neat opportunities for us to connect especially with the Haitian children through singing, soccer, games and, of course, that traditional cross cultural ice breaker - iPhone apps."
Thank you for your prayers.
And quite possibly the best picture of Disney EVER….
AHHHHHH!!! I DIDN'T KNOW THE RIDE WAS GOING TO DO THIS!!!
…we've hit Sea World
…dipped our toes in the Pacific…
…had an amazing visit with old friends in San Diego. But today we drove up to Anaheim and we're resting up to tackle Disneyland tomorrow!
