today, a friend sent me a link to an entry in a blog I had never heard of. I read the whole thing through… 20 minutes later, I had clicked myself deeper and deeper into the blogger’s site.
the blogger was clever. the site was witty. it was “liked” by thousands on Facebook.
there are so many blogs to read, so many posts to catch up on.
I have a hard enough time keeping up with the checklist that sits on my kitchen counter. how in the world am I supposed to find time for blogs, websites and tweeting?
and yet, three gifted people are volunteering their time and their talent to build the Teachers Training Teachers website… and I am exhilarated!!
It’s been one month since we returned from Haiti. My last entry on this blog was in January. Booking the flights in January quickly turned into two months of endless prep that left me exhausted even before we boarded the plane on March 22nd.
And then there is the decompressing that needs to be done once we return.
So here I am, having been to Haiti four times in 18 months…what a ride.
Our third seminar is scheduled and it will be ready to go for March 23-24. Five of us are going and we will be bringing some pretty hefty content on the Foundations of Reading. I feel like I am getting a free graduate course just in what it takes to prep for this!
Many of the Haitian teachers took my email address before we left the last seminar. It has been such a delight to receive their follow-up responses. They are using the training material and have great questions.
Also we are developing a simple, informative website that will target two groups: Haitian school administrators and US organizations that go to Haiti who might be interested in using the TTT product.
Rosetta Stone took a back seat to the second seminar and the holidays. And when I turned it back on to re-engage, all of my progress had been lost. Long story…
Anyways, after a bunch of help desk emails and one long chat with a patient lady VERY far away, it has been restored. Merci beaucoup Rosetta Stone!
So, onward and upward we go - watching and waiting for God’s leading.
Imagine yourself in Haiti at the seminar. We break for lunch and they have to remind you that we need to pray first. ugh… that doesn’t look good.
Everyone rises and we bow our heads while the administrator begins to pray in French. And then I hear voices. I can’t look up faster than the thoughts that race into my mind… who is talking? who is being so rude?
When I open my eyes, my jaw drops. The administrator continues to pray while the other 25 Haitians in the room are praying as well. All out loud. Eyes are closed. Some heads are tilted toward heaven, other heads are bowed. Some have open hands, some have folded hands. But all in one voice, they are praying their own prayers to One God.
I was in complete awe. Christians go to Haiti in the name of Jesus Christ thinking that Haitians need to hear the Good News. That we will tell them that God is big and that He cares for them. Who are we to think they don’t know Him already? They were all praying at the same time which only leads me to believe that they full well know that He is all-knowing, that He is all-powerful. Why else would you pray at the same time to the One true God???
After a few minutes, the prayers end and Clarice, one of our translators, (to the right of me in the photo) opens his eyes and sees my jaw obviously still on the ground. He smiles. I stutter that I had never seen that before.
He responds, “I heard that in America you take turns when you pray? Why would you need to do that?”
What a seminar. Ready to unzip our six 50 pound suitcases loaded up with seminar materials, we arrived to Port Au Prince 22 hours later than planned due to fog at JFK. (These delays and cancellations almost did me in, by the way. Unfortunately, I was running on empty before we even left Boston!) But we made it… pulling onto the NVM campus, we unloaded the truck, grabbed a bottle of water and headed to the school.
We were able to see the teachers in action, applying what they had learned from the first seminar. It was simply wonderful! Students were then dismissed and the church was transformed into a seminar setting within a half an hour. A little bit scattered and feeling the heat of Haiti suddenly soaking our clothes, we began.
We brought heavy material both in weight and content. Together, we pushed through all of it. Our team’s hard work paid off as the seminar ran smoothly. The teachers asked incredible questions and craved understanding. Our translators worked tirelessly to convey concepts and meaning. We were mentally exhausted and exhilarated at the end of each day.
I can’t quite find the appropriate words to put around my third trip to Haiti.
For starters, my husband, Eric was able to miraculously re-route us to Haiti when all was bleak and we considered postponing the trip. His efforts were selfless - my, oh my… I love him more every day.
To see that my children are embracing a country and a people at such a young age… my, oh my.
To travel with Jane and Karen was a privilege. I never bore of talking about Haiti and the TTT. Their insights and wisdom grew our vision and mission in bounds over those couple of days… my, oh my.
To stand before 22 teachers whose circumstances I can barely relate to yet feel the strongest conviction to tell them that we believe in them is not lost in translation but lost in deep emotion… my, oh my.
To think of all of you - those who are on the TTT team, those who donated time and money to make this happen, those who translated, those who prayed… my, oh my.
To dream and see the potential for the TTT in Haiti. God has a plan for me in this time and place - to be found in His sweet will… my, oh my.
It is my conviction. I don’t celebrate Halloween. I don’t like to be scared and I don’t like the roots and history of Halloween.
We have been using every free moment to pull this seminar together. It requires so much time and energy; I am exhausted and exhilirated at the same time. And these last few weeks have been hard for other reasons as well. Our team has been experiencing great personal struggles. And I will name it for what it is. It’s a battle.
Some may think he’s tricky and harmless - that he has horns and carries a pitch fork. What better way to mask the power of Satan than to celebrate Halloween? Strong statement I know; it is my conviction.
He is real and I feel the attack. I am in the battle to bring this kingdom here on earth and we will not be defeated when we have God on our side. I want him to hear me fight. God gets the glory for His victory!
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. I Peter 5: 7-11
when your burden is too heavy to carry.
when your chest feels tight and it’s hard to breathe.
when your heart is torn in pieces.
what do you do?
Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give your rest.
Matthew 11:28
I know, I know - this blog is only supposed to be about Haiti. But I think this time, if I don’t record what God has done, I will be missing the opportunity to share of his mighty strength. Don’t worry, I won’t start posting recipes… just allow me this one tangent.
There are a group of trees that we have been watching in our backyard for 10 years. They stand with a permanent lean that pose a constant threat of falling on our house. We have taken down the dangerous trees but with Hurricane Irene, I found myself praying the same prayer again - please don’t allow the trees to fall on our house thus falling on our daughter’s bedroom. It only takes a moment for a mother’s mind to wander…
As I listened to one huge gust whip around the side of our house, I ran in what felt like slow motion to see the settling of four trees collapse on each other in our backyard. The gust with all its force brought down an oak and three others in almost a perfectly organized pile. The top most branches of the oak just brushed our porch; our house was untouched.
For years, I have prayed for protection over that corner of our house. In that moment, I stood in shock at the sight of the huge pile of trees and I stood in awe and reverence at God’s mighty hand of protection.
I was telling a friend this morning about it all, using dramatic detail and great sound effects. Her simple response: Years of prayer for one day of protection.
Be exalted. O Lord, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might.
Psalm 21:13
I wanted to follow up on the post I wrote on January 12th. After reading Half the Sky by Nichols D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, I knew that I needed to figure out how to respond to what I read. And, God was faithful as always…
Amirah. Lots of little details make up the story as to how Amirah landed in my lap. Our family is excited for the opportunity to come alongside this group of people whose mission is to care deeply for oppressed and trafficked women.
www.amirahboston.org
it’s worth a look….
Filed under Half the Sky Amirah
As we come upon our one year anniversary as a team of teachers, it is a privilege to say that the TTT team plans to go to Haiti three times over the next school year.
While this blog has been relatively silent, our team has been busy creating modules that we will incorporate into upcoming seminars. I am humbled to be a part of this team. They find time when they are busy. They are dedicated when life pulls them in different directions. And they have rekindled the teacher in me…
Over the years, people have asked me: Will you go back to teaching when your kids go to school? My answer was never “no”, but I knew it would never be as a full time classroom teacher. And now, here I am with my youngest entering Kindergarten. Who would have thought that God had this kind of teaching in store for me? I am so grateful.
For I know the plans I have for you….
