snapshots

These are some "snapshots" that were originally posted on instagram (smalleybrooke).  I hope you enjoy getting a look into some of the sweet moments of my days=)

During the last few months of my friends pregnancy her daughter Kris was extra needy and cuddly
with me.  For months I prayed about the upcoming delivery and transition for this feet family.  Kris has had
my heart for a long time and watching her struggle wasn't easy.  Just hours after my friend delivered this
sweet new little one Kris practically pulled me into their home.  It has  been such a blessing to watch as Kris has fallen completely head over heals with her baby sister.  Love watching the Lord work in the lives of my friends!

This picture was taken on our Labor/Agriculture holiday which meant no school for the kiddos and
no clinic for me!  Wearing a uniform to school day after day must be boring for Rose because this day she
 chose to let her inner spunk shine by wearing her "fancy" dress!  The tackier the better when you are five!

Love the sticky kisses that come with mango season!  Rosemene didn't waste one bite of her mango!

A fun evening outside with Rose!  You really can't go wrong with
bubbles, a slide, and side walk chalk!

Learned a new version of tic-tac-toe with the children.  Needless to say I go treat quite a few times.  

Daniella and Rosemelie decided to come for a visit.  It's amazing how my cozy little home can become
 wild and crazy with these two!  Not quite sure when they got old enough to come and visit me all on their
 own but I have a feeling this won't be the last time!  Oh and I'll confess- I stood right where I hugged and
 kissed them on the road until I couldn't see them anymore- I'm not ready for my kids to grow up.

The 1st of May is Labor/Agriculture day in Haiti!  The preschool and kindergarten classes were busy
planting different plants for several weeks.  The plants went home with the students just recently…I have
a feeling quite a few of them will have a short life if they are watered like the one on the left=)

Moise!

When Moise and his momma came to our clinic June 5, 2014 I don't think his mom had any clue of what all would really happen. Leslee was instantly struck by how kind his mother was and went to work trying to find a hospital/surgeon through the Haiti expat community to help repair Moise's cleft lip and pallet. In the end it was a Mercy Ships connection which led us to a surgeon that would be coming to Haiti. Oh what a privilege it has been to watch this little guy grow over the last ten months.  Getting to watch Moise develop a personality and watch as a community of health care providers from around the world joined together to care for him has been amazing.  Little Moise and his momma didn't just impact the staff in our clinic but rather the people at each appointment fell in love with him too.

field trip!

 I have been promising the kids for months now that we would take another "field trip" to campus to play on the playground.  These trips take a whole lot of patience because well, trying to keep twenty or so kids together on the road and entertained on the playground can be slightly challenging!  The children reminded me the other day that I once again promised to bring them to play during their spring break from school.  They let me know that school was almost ready to start again so we really needed to go this week.  I told them that the next morning I would come and get them all extra early.  As soon as I walked into the village the kids went crazy and ran off to bathe and get dressed.  Getting twenty kids bathed, dressed (some in fancy church outfits because this is a BIG deal!), and with something on their feet is no easy task.  Thankfully the kids all worked together and before long we were on the road!  It almost felt like we were headed off to camp because they sang songs and danced the entire way to campus.  Everyone who passed us on the road just laughed and waved.  The kids spent over two hours running up and down the slides and having a great time.  Snacks were a highlight for some of them too.  We made sure to head back to the village before some of the younger ones got too tired because they are getting too big to be carried.  All in all it was a morning filled with lots of laughter, fun, and adventure!

Going up the slide is just as much fun as going down it=)

Just how many kiddos can go down a curly slide together...

snapshots from the last week!

 When the rice and sauce are almost finished being cooked it isn't unusual to see kiddos (or animals) just waiting outside of the kitchen in hopes of getting a portion.  Davidson is a professional at knowing where the food is!  He knows that Natacha will always give him a spoon full of rice or some beans that have been cooked.

 Rainy season has officially started!  It has been raining every night which can make for muddy walks to the village!  Between the mud, thorns, and rocks my sandals never last very long here=)

Sweet moment of watching women work together to care for one of the mommas in the village who just had a baby.  This momma normally sells charcoal every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday in order to provide for her family.  The other women are now taking her donkey loaded with charcoal to the market for her so she can remain in the home with the baby.  Love watching the village of women surround and support this momma! 

it's a GIRL!

For months all of my little friends and I have been guessing the gender of Natacha's unborn baby.  Some of the kiddos voted girl, others boy, and some even guessed one of each!  A few of my little friends were even kind enough to say that the boy baby was to be gifted to me and the girl baby would live with Natacha=)  After what felt like year of feeling that baby kick and watching Natacha's belly grow so so very big, Monday morning she delivered a healthy GIRL in her home in Chambrun.  Her other children were all asleep in the home when she had the baby--wouldn't that be a surprise to wake up to!  The children were quick to come and find me on campus just hours after she was born to tell me the big news.  Getting to meet this sweet little one is a moment I hope to never forget.  As I sat next to Natacha on her bed the children gathered around.  They were so curious and knew that while I had the baby they had a better shot at getting to touch her!  We spent a lot of time admiring her fingers, toes, hair, and of course her precious little face.  At just a few hours old this baby girl was already so very loved by a whole community of people.  As I walked home I couldn't help but be both excited and worried for my friend.  While I walked I prayed that Natacha's body would heal and that her recovery would be quick because she has four other children to provide and care for.  I prayed that the baby would be healthy and honestly that she would be one that would make it.  That this baby would be a champ at breastfeeding and that she would bring joy to her family.  There are so many unknowns for this sweet little girl (having a name would be at the top of the list right now..) and yet I know that the Lord has a plan for her life.  I feel so privileged to have been able to watch her momma's belly grow over the last few months and to now have another little one to love on.  

Getting a group picture in a dark room, under a mosquito net, with a group
of kiddos, and all while dripping puddles of sweat..was a slight challenge.
Better pictures to come when this little one is old enough to leave the house=)

pure joy

"Joy is a mystery because it can happen anywhere, anytime, even under the most 

unpromising circumstances, even in the midst of suffering with tears in its eyes." ~Buechner 

Today was one of those days where I watched as the Lord answered one of the prayers I have been praying for over 2 1/2 years.  A prayer that I have prayed since I met sweet little Rose in 2012.  Rose has always been a child that wasn't quick to laugh, smile, or honestly show any emotion at all.  She has a long story that is full of brokenness and yet I have always prayed that she would desire to laugh and play.  Lately watching her little personality grow and develop is like watching the Lord work a miracle right before your eyes.  Today when I walked into her home she instantly perked up and was ready to be held.  It didn't take long before I realized that this was one of those special days with Rose.  Today wouldn't be the day that Rose fell asleep in my arms or simply remained quiet like normal.  No, today was the day when this little lady would want to play.  And she would smile and laugh.  Rose buried her little head into my shoulder and the next thing I knew she peeked up with the biggest grin on her face.  At one point she took her pudgy little hands and started covering her eyes, only to quickly remove her hands with the biggest grin hiding under them.  This sweet little girl was playing peek-a-boo!  I don't think I stopped smiling during the two hours I sat and played with this little one.  In my morning devotions I read through Psalm 139 and as I walked home I thought back to verses 17-18 "How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.  They cannot be numbered!  I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!.."  Rose is not just precious to me but to her heavenly father as well and that brings such comfort to my soul.  Today I'm thankful that the Lord gave me a glimpse into what He is doing in the heart of sweet Rose.

happy birthday rosemelie!

 In our area birthday's aren't typically celebrated with presents and big parties.  The kids love to sing "happy birthday" but usually it isn't actually for someones birthday.  Rosemelie must have known that turning five was a big deal though because she counted down the days until her birthday for several months.  Everyday she would ask if it was February and oh was she excited when I finally answered yes!  She told me right from the start that she wanted meat for her birthday and was even more specific in letting me know she wanted chicken.  On Friday I found her before school started and decided to start the day off by singing happy birthday to her in the school yard.  Right after school she was quick to ask me if I heard her class singing because everyone sang happy birthday to her and they even gave her a card!  After school we continued the "party" by playing games, going on the swings and slide, and of course we ate chicken.  We also sang happy birthday at least a hundred more times.  This sweet and spunky little girl is beyond special to me and so many others.  She has a smile that reaches from ear to ear and her laughter is one of the most precious sounds I've ever heard.  I am so thankful for this little girl and love that we got to spend her birthday celebrating just how truly special she is!

faithful

"He has shown you, oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."- Micah 6:8

I have thought about blogging a lot over the last few weeks and every time I sit down to write I can't get the words out.  The things that are on my heart right now are so near and dear to me that everything just feels heavy.  Each day has been filled with working in the clinic and visiting my kiddos, friends with new babies, and friends who have have had family members pass away.  If I'm being honest I would tell you that so far I haven't been impressed with the start of 2015.  On Wednesday though I was reminded at just how faithful the Lord is with providing for each of us and in ways that are far bigger than we could ever even dream of.  

Wednesday was the day all the children in our malnutrition program had an appointment.  I first met Nachca and her aunt back in October.  I remember placing Nachca's limp and lifeless body on the scale and mentally telling myself that I had to stay strong in that moment.  I looked at her aunt and simply asked her if she was a believer, to which she quietly nodded yes.  Nachca was seven months old and weighed just 5.72 pounds.  She quickly won the "award" for being one of the smallest in our malnutrition program and because of that I was afraid.  As I talked with her aunt tears rolled down my face, in my head I knew Nachca wouldn't make it because she was just too small.  But in my heart I couldn't give up hope.  So I prayed and so many other people from all over joined in on praying for Nachca.  I dreamt about this sweet little girl every night for two weeks.  It wasn't until I saw her at her appointment that I finally was able to take a deep breath.  Nachca was alive and even more so than that she had the energy to cry and protest when I needed to get her measurements and weight.  I knew from that moment on this little girl was a fighter and that the Lord had worked a miracle in her life.  Her aunt was literally glowing and was SO proud.  It didn't take long for Nachca to not even look like the same little girl I met just weeks before.  All of a sudden her body started to transform and before long she became this chubby little girl!  Nachca is now ten months old and weighs 15.26 pounds.  She is no longer content just being held but rather loves to crawl all around the house and now even pulls her body up to stand along the furniture and water buckets.  Her aunt said it's a full-time job cleaning up the messes she makes!

The most beautiful part of Nachca's story is that this sweet little girl has been a sign of hope in her neighborhood and church.  Her aunt told me that no one believed she would live and yet now they see just how faithful the Lord has been and how He has answered their prayers.  Watching Nachca's aunt care for her and truly become her mother has been such a blessing.  The last few weeks have been emotionally really hard and yet on Wednesday as I held Nachca I was reminded of just how faithful and present the Lord truly is.

favorites of 2014

This is one of my favorite pictures of Daniella and I at her kindergarten graduation.
She literally counted down the days and hours until her big day!    

In keeping with tradition I thought it would be fun to post some of my favorite pictures from 2014.  I hope you enjoy getting an inside peek into why these pictures are extra special to me.  Thank you for following along, for your friendship, encouragement, financial support, and most importantly for praying for me.  I am blessed to have each of you on this journey with me!  Wishing you a wonderful start to 2015!

The only photo of Davidson from his baptism- gotta love my boy!

My sisters and two of my favorites.  My heart is happy. 

Jaquins thinks getting his picture taken is overrated!
I also love that in the background you can see his "before" picture that
was taken at his first malnutrition appointment. 

LOVE the girls I work with.  So blessed to have them as my coworkers and friends!

Just about sums up Davidson!  (photo cred: leslee)

Love when my kiddos come to the clinic for a visit during summer break!  

So blessed to have lived and served with Kat and Leslee over the last year.  

This was taken after his momma bought me a coke at his sisters graduation party.
It's moments like this that are impossible to even process.

There was a moment when I didn't know if Fado would live.  He was so
malnourished and it literally just broke me.  Watching his sweet momma fight for
him and getting to watch as he has grown has been such a blessing. 

Saturday mornings are forever a favorite time of the week for me.  I love that there is
never an empty spot on my lap!

Leslee and I got to escape for true vacation.
We did nothing but relax and refuel.  It was so needed!

The kiddos doing "exercises!"  My days really are never boring!

I get to partner with mommas who are literally heroes and work
SO hard to fight for their kiddos!

My girl is growing up.  So proud of the beautiful young lady she is becoming.

Love when I get to be in Indiana and have time with my nieces and sisters!

The smile on his momma's face says it all.  She barely made eye contact with us when her
son, Anderson,  was admitted into the malnutrition program.  When Anderson graduated
 from the program she joked and laughed with us.  And just recently she met another momma in
 her village that had a child who was malnourished and she told that momma to bring the child to us right away.  This momma not only fought for her little guy but is advocating for other children too!

Leslee captured this moment and it is honestly one of my all-time
favorite pictures.  This little one rocked my world two years ago and
every snuggle I get with her I consider a complete blessing.

This picture was taken the first time I heard the sound of their
laughter and saw smiles on their faces.  Oh the Lord is faithful.

Rose is growing up and learning a lot in school- love watching her little mind grow!

Davidson had a melt down because I didn't bring him homework-
found a scrap sheet of paper and he was happy!  If only this lasts...

To see more pictures that were taken over the last year just click on the link below.  You do NOT need to have Facebook to see the pictures.  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151772100740831.1073741825.529825830&type=1&l=d2a7345c72