Thursday, June 27, 2013

kites and cars

One of the things I love most about Chambrun is that there aren't toys and games scattered all over the place.  Most people would think it would be pretty depressing to see a child without the latest (insert name here) gadget and yet these kiddos are so creative and resourceful.  The children can take a pile of "trash" and turn it into treasures.  The little boys are known for making homemade kites and cars.  The kites are assembled with sticks, plastic bags (like Walmart bags that they tear), and random pieces of string tied together.  After hours of tedious and hard work the boys are beyond proud when their kites fly crazy high.  As a child I never remember being able to get my fancy store purchased kite off the ground--and their kites literally soar! 
Just recently I caught the boys making cars.  They loved showing them off to me and were really excited when I asked if I could take pictures of their cars!  They used everything from old plastic cartons, string, bottle caps, rocks, and so much more to assemble these cars.   They took such pride in their cars and worked so hard to make them.  It was fun to watch as the boys raced the cars up and down the dirt road. 

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Seeking Him

"If you begin to live life looking for the God that is all around you, every moment becomes a prayer." Frank Bianco 

I haven't been able to get this quote out of my mind for the last several months.  And honestly, it couldn't be more true.  There have been so many moments lately where I have honestly had to mentally list where I see God in the event/story.  It's so easy to get lost in the daily tasks and busyness of life.  My prayer is that I'll take the time to stop and look for God.  That I won't get overwhelmed at the details and miss what He is already doing right in front of me.  Love the picture of having every moment as a prayer to Him.

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Friday, June 14, 2013

oh so beautiful!

Abaka Bay resort 
My days are usually spent working in the clinic and playing in the village.  At times it's easy for me to forget that I actually live on a Caribbean Island.  Several of my friends, that I live and serve with here at NVM, are transitioning back to the States in July.  We haven't traveled to any other parts in Haiti so we decided that a road-trip would be an excellent sort of last adventure together.  On Sunday we left Chambrun at a crazy hour of the morning to head towards Les cayes.  We then took a boat to Ile a Vache (translated- Island of Cows- and nope I didn't see any cows!) which is an island that is off the coast of Haiti.  We were the only people at the resort so it literally felt like we were the only people on this little island!  This was truly one of the most relaxing and peaceful breaks away from work and life.  The resort was beautiful and the food was delicious.  We spent our days relaxing by the beach and swimming in the ocean.
Bassin Bleu- this spring is 76 feet deep!  
After a few days at the resort we headed to another town outside of Jacmel.  We went to Bassin Bleu which is an area that has natural flowing springs with beautiful waterfalls.  We hired a guide to lead us on a hike through the mountain/forested area that surrounded the waterfalls.  As we hiked we saw several smaller springs with waterfalls.  The largest spring of water was 76 feet deep with a beauiful waterfall.  The guides helped to show us areas where we could climb and jump off the cliffs into the cold water.  We had so much fun swimming through the different pools of water and couldn't get over just how beautiful it really was.  This place was tucked back into the mountain where it could have easily been overlooked without the guides help.  This trip helped me to fall even more in love with Haiti.  Love that there are these little hidden places that are filled with such beauty that only God himself could create.

Friday, June 7, 2013

I have tried taking my camera to the village multiple times over the last few weeks to capture some of the adorable moments with my kiddos.  Typically I'd argue that they are not only the cutest little things ever but that they are pretty well behaved too.  These photos sort of capture the other side of their personalities.  Or maybe more truthfully just how little control I have over them somedays and how they are clearly not afraid of my threats when they don't listen.  Let's just say the children have been full of energy and maybe they too are sensing that the end of the school year is near because it has been impossible to capture their innocence with a camera! These are some of my favorite photos from the last several months that truly capture how chaotic some of my afternoons are=)
My face says it all.  I have no control what so ever.  
This is a typical Davidson face- he is letting me know that he isn't being
held...which is pretty much not acceptable!
Not sure who has more sass=)
Just another day playing with the kids...I mean why wouldn't
Davidson want to ride the turkey?!