Alysa and I were on for breakfust duty... this morning we made eggs, bacon, and rice.
At 8:30am, Shannon, Risse, Keith, Andrew, and I went up to visit my little one... Ismy in Kenscoff. He was out of school but we went by and saw the school and visited a 4th grade classroom where the kids sang and recited a verse for us.
Our driver, Willie and translator took us up to Viard to meed Ismy Love and his family. His mom was in town buying supplies- beans to sell. Ismy's 13yr old brother was watching all the children. They live in a one room rock house where 7 people call home. The children loved the toys we brought and the mom was thrilled to see us.
After the home visit we went up to Ft. Jacque for a tour. It was build to withhold the French troops from invading Port Au Prince.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Haiti: arrival
After way too many hours of flying, we arrived in Port Au Prince shortly after Laura Bush. We went through customs and then met up with Julie, Alejandro, and Keith. We collected our 30 bags and headed out the terminal to meet up with Chris and Kelli.
All of us girls jumped in with Kelli and drove up to the BHM compound with a quick stop at an overlook. It was so good to talk with Kelli again. The entire way up to the mission... Shannon, Alysa, and Risse were all "look at that cow", etc. ... by the time we got to the mission... Alysa had taken 300 pictures.
Once at BHM, we unloaded the bags and went up to Mountain Maid for lunch. After lunch, Patti took the team on a tour while Lizzy and I started unpacking bags and setting up reservations for home visits with Elsa. Once doing that we realized that school was out of sessions for the next week so we had to revamp the schedule.
By the time we had a group meeting and dinner. When dinner was finished, everyone had a glazed over exhausted look... Everyone went to bed!
All of us girls jumped in with Kelli and drove up to the BHM compound with a quick stop at an overlook. It was so good to talk with Kelli again. The entire way up to the mission... Shannon, Alysa, and Risse were all "look at that cow", etc. ... by the time we got to the mission... Alysa had taken 300 pictures.
Once at BHM, we unloaded the bags and went up to Mountain Maid for lunch. After lunch, Patti took the team on a tour while Lizzy and I started unpacking bags and setting up reservations for home visits with Elsa. Once doing that we realized that school was out of sessions for the next week so we had to revamp the schedule.
By the time we had a group meeting and dinner. When dinner was finished, everyone had a glazed over exhausted look... Everyone went to bed!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Haiti: As the journey begins...
Well it is finally that time of the year. Off to Haiti! After months of planning and packing for endless hours, twelve team members sit on a flight from HNL to LAX.
It has been relatively uneventful as of this morning. Praise God! Barney just got his passport yesterday. Some issue with his birth certificate. Praise God that all got taken care of.
It has been relatively uneventful as of this morning. Praise God! Barney just got his passport yesterday. Some issue with his birth certificate. Praise God that all got taken care of.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Peace to You!
Dear family and friends-
As I sit here tonight working on my Cultivating Contentment Bible Study for this week, my heart is overwhelmed by all that God has been teaching me. Currently my house is very calm compared to an hour ago when we were in the midst of our staff Christmas party. The calmness I feel around me and within me is a perfect reminder of how God originally designed the season of His son's birth. Born in a quiet town in a stable where the only sounds heard were those of the animals. There wasn't a lot of busyness around our Savior's birth.
Now fly through more than 2000 years, here I sit in my living room on a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, listening to Bing Crosby sing Christmas music with the angel on the top of my Christmas tree flashing sporadically. There is a cool breeze blowing from the fan. All of the comforts of modern day life in America. Boy what a difference in setting between the night Jesus was born and where I sit tonight but that divine calmness is the same. That calmness is known as peace and I was reminded of all of this after reading Colossians 3:13
"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body, you were called to peace. And be thankful."
We can have that peace in the midst of even the crazyiest situations. So my prayer for you is may the peace of God be with you! MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Much love and God's blessings,
Angela
As I sit here tonight working on my Cultivating Contentment Bible Study for this week, my heart is overwhelmed by all that God has been teaching me. Currently my house is very calm compared to an hour ago when we were in the midst of our staff Christmas party. The calmness I feel around me and within me is a perfect reminder of how God originally designed the season of His son's birth. Born in a quiet town in a stable where the only sounds heard were those of the animals. There wasn't a lot of busyness around our Savior's birth.
Now fly through more than 2000 years, here I sit in my living room on a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, listening to Bing Crosby sing Christmas music with the angel on the top of my Christmas tree flashing sporadically. There is a cool breeze blowing from the fan. All of the comforts of modern day life in America. Boy what a difference in setting between the night Jesus was born and where I sit tonight but that divine calmness is the same. That calmness is known as peace and I was reminded of all of this after reading Colossians 3:13
"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body, you were called to peace. And be thankful."
We can have that peace in the midst of even the crazyiest situations. So my prayer for you is may the peace of God be with you! MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Much love and God's blessings,
Angela
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Moments
Ever have one of those moments when you look back over your life and ponder the things that you have done??? Some are happy. Some are sad. And most are somewhere in between. Over the past few days I have had quite a few of those pondering moments.
God has allowed me a bit of a vacation to visit North Carolina . I came with no expectations and have been blown away by what God had planned. The purpose of the trip was to come back for my ten year class reunion but I feel like it has been more of a walk down memory lane.
The journey started by going to a Friday night Western Alamance High School football game where the memories of marching band and the cool crisp fall nights flooded the scene. No matter how many things change there are still a lot of things that stay the same!! Saturday brought with it an evening filled with old friends and talking the night away at our ten year class reunion. It was so good to see everyone and reconnect with people I haven’t seen in over ten years. Sunday brought with it a new church and a late night dinner with an old friend at the infamous IHOP!
As I settled into the routine of being back at my parents and getting in touch with people, I couldn’t help but remember the emotions of the previous weeks. …finishing the first quarter of school with evaluations and parent conferences…watching two boys for nine days while their parents went to the mainland…getting everything washed and packed for a two week trip…sorting out all of the details while I am gone…and the heartbreak of losing two friends in the matter of a few days made this trip something less than desirable to look forward to. (Plus I think I was exhausted!!!) I have had to remind my self numerous times over the past few days that I am on vacation and not in the “real” world. Just as there were moments of not wanting to come to NC, there have been those moments of not wanting to go back home to Molokai for there are responsibilities to take care of.
So with all that said- I have three more days left and I am going to make every moment the best it can be because there will never be another moment like the last. When you look back over the last week of your life how have your “moments” been???
Hope all is well with you! Keep in touch and let me know if there is anything I can lift before the throne of God for you!! I will try to stay in better contact!
Much love and God’s blessings,
Angela
God has allowed me a bit of a vacation to visit North Carolina . I came with no expectations and have been blown away by what God had planned. The purpose of the trip was to come back for my ten year class reunion but I feel like it has been more of a walk down memory lane.
The journey started by going to a Friday night Western Alamance High School football game where the memories of marching band and the cool crisp fall nights flooded the scene. No matter how many things change there are still a lot of things that stay the same!! Saturday brought with it an evening filled with old friends and talking the night away at our ten year class reunion. It was so good to see everyone and reconnect with people I haven’t seen in over ten years. Sunday brought with it a new church and a late night dinner with an old friend at the infamous IHOP!
As I settled into the routine of being back at my parents and getting in touch with people, I couldn’t help but remember the emotions of the previous weeks. …finishing the first quarter of school with evaluations and parent conferences…watching two boys for nine days while their parents went to the mainland…getting everything washed and packed for a two week trip…sorting out all of the details while I am gone…and the heartbreak of losing two friends in the matter of a few days made this trip something less than desirable to look forward to. (Plus I think I was exhausted!!!) I have had to remind my self numerous times over the past few days that I am on vacation and not in the “real” world. Just as there were moments of not wanting to come to NC, there have been those moments of not wanting to go back home to Molokai for there are responsibilities to take care of.
So with all that said- I have three more days left and I am going to make every moment the best it can be because there will never be another moment like the last. When you look back over the last week of your life how have your “moments” been???
Hope all is well with you! Keep in touch and let me know if there is anything I can lift before the throne of God for you!! I will try to stay in better contact!
Much love and God’s blessings,
Angela
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Grace
Grace
Sunday, July 08, 2007
After three weeks of trying to write a newsletter, I have been praying for a topic, song, or experience to write on and nothing has transpired. Every time I sit down to write, I get a few thoughts down on paper and then it ends. They don’t seem to connect. Well tonight I was sitting at my computer emailing some friends when the phone rang. A precious friend was on the other end and after talking with her for about half an hour, I had to type up what was on my heart. God’s grace – so here goes…
Grace- We would all recognize the song Amazing Grace but do we really see how absolutely amazing God’s grace to us really is. John Bradford said the infamous quote of “There but by the grace of God, go I”. God has been really teaching me about His grace and how left to my own thoughts and actions, I deserve nothing better than hell. But only by God’s grace do I get to spend eternity in heaven because of nothing I have done but of what Jesus Christ has done for me. More than twenty years ago, I accepted Christ as my Savior at a vacation bible school but it wasn’t until years later at a friend’s funeral that I also made Christ Lord of my life. I surrendered my ALL to Him. Everyone serves some kind of master whether it be money, what people think, themselves, worry, society, etc. but the only master that is fair and just is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Even with Christ in my heart and life, I still make choices that go against what God’s word says. That is where God’s grace plays a huge role. Because of those choices, I have to live with the consequences but they don’t affect where I will spend eternity. The grace that God offers has taught me so much about His gentleman-like characteristics. How easily I stumble, but the hand of God is always there to help me back on my feet. My dad and I used to sing a Twila Paris song when I was little called “The Warrior is a Child”. Even as hard as the battle is, and as tired as the warrior gets from fighting, God is always there to wipe away the tears and lend a hand.
I can honestly say that this summer has been too short and tiring. I chose to watch children six out of the seven weeks of summer vacation. So I have had between 5 – 10 children, ages 3 to 8 years old, on a daily basis from 6:30am to 4:30pm all by myself while trying to get work done in my office for the upcoming preschool year. I have come home in the evenings with little energy to do things around the house but still needing to get things done. Friends and former students have also desired a piece of my time, so between three Bible Studies per week, bread runs, and trips to the movies at night, I am living like I am on summer break but still having to get up at 5:45am every morning. Again only by the grace of God have I been able to build friendships, help parents out, and spend some time having fun. God has truly blessed me with some absolutely amazing friends this summer who have taught me what it looks like to be authentic and captivating.
So with all that said, I sit here tonight amazed by God’s grace- that it is not by my strength but by His. God chooses to use us even when we feel unusable. God delights in our hearts that are filled with worship to Him. And we are truly beautiful in His sight because He created us with that beauty.
As I close out this letter… I apologize that it has taken me so long to write. I desire to know what is going on in each of your lives. If you have prayer concerns or just want to chat feel free to email me back or call. I am also on facebook (finally) and myspace. Just use my email address!!!!
Much love and God’s blessings,
Angela
Sunday, July 08, 2007
After three weeks of trying to write a newsletter, I have been praying for a topic, song, or experience to write on and nothing has transpired. Every time I sit down to write, I get a few thoughts down on paper and then it ends. They don’t seem to connect. Well tonight I was sitting at my computer emailing some friends when the phone rang. A precious friend was on the other end and after talking with her for about half an hour, I had to type up what was on my heart. God’s grace – so here goes…
Grace- We would all recognize the song Amazing Grace but do we really see how absolutely amazing God’s grace to us really is. John Bradford said the infamous quote of “There but by the grace of God, go I”. God has been really teaching me about His grace and how left to my own thoughts and actions, I deserve nothing better than hell. But only by God’s grace do I get to spend eternity in heaven because of nothing I have done but of what Jesus Christ has done for me. More than twenty years ago, I accepted Christ as my Savior at a vacation bible school but it wasn’t until years later at a friend’s funeral that I also made Christ Lord of my life. I surrendered my ALL to Him. Everyone serves some kind of master whether it be money, what people think, themselves, worry, society, etc. but the only master that is fair and just is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Even with Christ in my heart and life, I still make choices that go against what God’s word says. That is where God’s grace plays a huge role. Because of those choices, I have to live with the consequences but they don’t affect where I will spend eternity. The grace that God offers has taught me so much about His gentleman-like characteristics. How easily I stumble, but the hand of God is always there to help me back on my feet. My dad and I used to sing a Twila Paris song when I was little called “The Warrior is a Child”. Even as hard as the battle is, and as tired as the warrior gets from fighting, God is always there to wipe away the tears and lend a hand.
I can honestly say that this summer has been too short and tiring. I chose to watch children six out of the seven weeks of summer vacation. So I have had between 5 – 10 children, ages 3 to 8 years old, on a daily basis from 6:30am to 4:30pm all by myself while trying to get work done in my office for the upcoming preschool year. I have come home in the evenings with little energy to do things around the house but still needing to get things done. Friends and former students have also desired a piece of my time, so between three Bible Studies per week, bread runs, and trips to the movies at night, I am living like I am on summer break but still having to get up at 5:45am every morning. Again only by the grace of God have I been able to build friendships, help parents out, and spend some time having fun. God has truly blessed me with some absolutely amazing friends this summer who have taught me what it looks like to be authentic and captivating.
So with all that said, I sit here tonight amazed by God’s grace- that it is not by my strength but by His. God chooses to use us even when we feel unusable. God delights in our hearts that are filled with worship to Him. And we are truly beautiful in His sight because He created us with that beauty.
As I close out this letter… I apologize that it has taken me so long to write. I desire to know what is going on in each of your lives. If you have prayer concerns or just want to chat feel free to email me back or call. I am also on facebook (finally) and myspace. Just use my email address!!!!
Much love and God’s blessings,
Angela
Saturday, March 31, 2007
A thankful heart
A Thankful Heart
Written- March 26th, 2007
What can I give to You who has given me everything?
After spending 10 days in Haiti, I have truly realized how blessed I am for all the things God has given me.
How often do I take for granted a warm place to sleep when people here sleep in the dirt?
How often do I take for granted my education when families here have to choose one of their children to go to school while the others work?
How often do I take for granted the value of life when parents are willing to give up their child to a stranger?
How often do I take for granted my safety when the police here take a car to get money?
How often do I take for granted my regular paycheck when the average worker in Haiti makes $2 US a day?
This trip has truly opened my eyes to see that I take a lot of things for granted. God has blessed us with so much and all He desires from us is our heart to serve Him.
Seven members of Molokai Baptist Church flew out of Honolulu airport on March 20th to Port Au Prince, Haiti. When we arrived, Chris and Kelli Lieb met us and took us up to Baptist Haiti Mission, which would be our home for the next ten days.
Downtown was very hot and dry but as we made our way up the mountain the weather got cooler and wetter. One of the first major differences that we noticed as we made our way up to BHM was the driving. In Haiti there are no traffic rules- no speed limits, no right of ways! Ultimately it is a big game of chicken!
While at Baptist Haiti Mission, Charline and I painted, cleaned, helped out at the hospital in the maternity ward, and got to go on a home visit to meet Charline’s sponsored child. The guys- Randy, Clinton, Colton, Kevin, and Kawika- worked on the health clinic, wiring, construction, and got to go on an adventure to Maissade to preach at one of the churches in the province.
We also had a great opportunity to encourage the Lieb and Baker families while we were there. The Lieb family lived on Molokai for five years prior to moving to Haiti. It was great to spend time with Chris and Kelli and their five children. We even had Hawaiian night where Kelli made huli-huli chicken, rice, and musibi.
If you want to find out more info on where we worked you can check out the Baptist Haiti Mission website at bhm.org. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and support.
Much love and God’s blessings,
Angela
Written- March 26th, 2007
What can I give to You who has given me everything?
After spending 10 days in Haiti, I have truly realized how blessed I am for all the things God has given me.
How often do I take for granted a warm place to sleep when people here sleep in the dirt?
How often do I take for granted my education when families here have to choose one of their children to go to school while the others work?
How often do I take for granted the value of life when parents are willing to give up their child to a stranger?
How often do I take for granted my safety when the police here take a car to get money?
How often do I take for granted my regular paycheck when the average worker in Haiti makes $2 US a day?
This trip has truly opened my eyes to see that I take a lot of things for granted. God has blessed us with so much and all He desires from us is our heart to serve Him.
Seven members of Molokai Baptist Church flew out of Honolulu airport on March 20th to Port Au Prince, Haiti. When we arrived, Chris and Kelli Lieb met us and took us up to Baptist Haiti Mission, which would be our home for the next ten days.
Downtown was very hot and dry but as we made our way up the mountain the weather got cooler and wetter. One of the first major differences that we noticed as we made our way up to BHM was the driving. In Haiti there are no traffic rules- no speed limits, no right of ways! Ultimately it is a big game of chicken!
While at Baptist Haiti Mission, Charline and I painted, cleaned, helped out at the hospital in the maternity ward, and got to go on a home visit to meet Charline’s sponsored child. The guys- Randy, Clinton, Colton, Kevin, and Kawika- worked on the health clinic, wiring, construction, and got to go on an adventure to Maissade to preach at one of the churches in the province.
We also had a great opportunity to encourage the Lieb and Baker families while we were there. The Lieb family lived on Molokai for five years prior to moving to Haiti. It was great to spend time with Chris and Kelli and their five children. We even had Hawaiian night where Kelli made huli-huli chicken, rice, and musibi.
If you want to find out more info on where we worked you can check out the Baptist Haiti Mission website at bhm.org. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and support.
Much love and God’s blessings,
Angela
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