tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6351070540608322602024-03-12T23:44:52.608-07:00JustAnotherFaithStoryIn this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.
~Mother Teresaanna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-81741545754460824382012-12-11T21:58:00.000-08:002012-12-11T22:02:37.097-08:0016 Days......until I'm headed back to Haiti :D Can. Not. Wait. It's been a year since I've been and it feels like way longer. I'm definitely anxious and excited... there will be one thing missing, prayers appreciated as I prepare to serve without my favorite little guy by my side. He died in April and I wrote this for the RHFH blog shortly after:<br />
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I was lying in bed late at night, with one of the kids in my care sleeping next to me, as his crib and the extra child’s mattress in my room had two kids on IV and oxygen sleeping in them. I had just come back from preparing a little girl for burial, and wanted to try to sleep for a couple hours. It’s not often that I find myself getting emotional about sick or dying kids anymore, but this night was overwhelmingly tough. I found myself closing my eyes trying to hold back the tears, praying that these kids’ suffering would just end. I felt small hands grab onto my neck and shoulders as a child pulled his body closer to mine. He put his hands on my cheeks and touched his nose to mine, holding himself there until we dozed off. This is one of many memories that I have of an amazing little boy named Darlens.<br />
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Included somewhere in the estimated 300,000 deaths resulting from the earthquake in Haiti were both parents of a 3 year old boy who suffered from severe malnutrition and neglect. There is little doubt in my mind that this tiny boy would have died if the earthquake had not taken his parents’ lives that day. I imagine they were not different from many other Haitian parents, both working from sunrise to sunset to earn enough for yesterday’s bowl of rice. Darlens came to RHFH a couple weeks after the earthquake. At 3 years old and 10.5 lbs, his ribs, loose skin and sunken eyes were a shocking sight. With one look at him, most people familiar with malnutrition would have labeled him as too far gone. Luckily, God doesn’t label as we do. His legs were malformed and uneven; likely from being left all day to lie in the shade at home. He could barely be propped sitting up leaning on his pointy elbows long enough to take an admittance photo. He captured my heart immediately. If this kid was going to die, he would not die alone and not without a fight. By making it this far he had already proven that he was a fighter.<br />
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In the first months at RHFH Darlens was slow to progress, and his stomach couldn’t handle anything. Spending his days in the office with Lori, Licia, Caroline and I, Darlens quickly became part of the RHFH family. Having him with me at night allowed me to wake up hourly to sneak calories into his feeding tube. He would wake up, see the milk going into his tube and make himself throw up. Getting this child to gain weight was the most trying and frustrating task that I had ever experienced. Every effort he spent rejecting food made me wonder what he might have gone through to be so broken, so resistant to being cared for. Darlens spent a good half of his time with me on and off of a feeding tube. I remember blogging at one point, about his control issues with food- the child would literally hold a piece of food in his mouth for hours and hours until he would fall asleep with it and drool it out. The advice, prayer, love and encouragement I received that week was overwhelming. I had to lean on God for patience so much through Darlens and quickly learned how little control I had over the situation. All I could do was keep loving him, and giving him my time and best efforts and pray for him.<br />
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There was no sudden turning point, as there seems to be with many kids suffering from malnutrition. Often a child will struggle for weeks or months and then seemingly turn a corner and all the sudden thrive in weight gain, and development. Darlens did not fit this mold. He fought hard to make up for the past 3 years. He would gain a pound, and then have a bout of diarrhea and lose two the next week. I asked a physical therapist from the Air Force to look at him and teach me things I could do to improve his strength. Every day I would make him work for an hour to straighten and strengthen his legs. He screamed through this whole process for the entire hour. He wanted to be held 24/7 but would reject my attention when I put him down or made him eat or stand. I have never worked so hard on anything in my life than I did on getting Darlens to thrive. After six months caring for Darlens, I began doing everything I could to prepare him to join the RC. At this point Darlens was up to about 18 pounds. He would spend days in the NICU tent with the other critical kids and slowly became more adjusted to life with the nannies. They loved him. Licia knew how much Darlens benefitted from intensive care and hired one of the amazing staff to work one-on-one with Darlens during the day when I went back to school. Sonite worked with Darlens for months and by my next trip a couple months later, he was almost standing on his own. To see Sonite’s love for Darlens and her working so intently on helping him progress was beautiful. He was growing, slow but sure, and so happy.<br />
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The thing about kids like Darlens is that they don’t just receive food and recover to go home happily to a family. Some kids never seem to catch a break, or turn that corner. Their lives are a roller coaster of sickness and health. We all invested so much into his life and loved him so deeply that every little accomplishment he had became a celebration. In the same way, every struggle he faced was heart-breaking for everyone who loved him so much. This emotional investment is not a luxury that is often practical in a setting like the Rescue Center because of the frequency of kids coming in and out. Kids die frequently, and miracles happen daily. In November of last year, Darlens was one of many patients to be treated at RHFH for Cholera. Caroline, Lori, and Licia all were busy 24/7 keeping him alive on IV and oxygen. This time was tough on everyone involved, but once again we were forced to pray that God’s will be done. That time, that meant Darlens would make it.<br />
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I loved Darlens like he was my own. I loved the way he ignored me the most when he wanted me to make him laugh, the way he loved cuddling with the infants that I cared for, the way he screamed at me from across the room, the way he would fall asleep holding his bottle so tight but wouldn’t drink a single drop without spitting it out. I loved the way he bonded with Sonite who cared for him after I left and the way he bonded with the other kids in the NICU tent and would point to a child if they were crying or throwing up or had a dirty diaper, or hold their bottle to their mouths. I loved the way he fell in love with Licia’s youngest, Ameyah, and the way he would call her from across the yard. I will never forget his quirks and amazing spirit. Everyone who had met him on a trip, his sponsors and those who cared for him fell in love with his sweet personality and the way he would smile with his eyes. Darlens was SO loved.<br />
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When I received news that Darlens was not doing well, I had a gut feeling that he would not make it this time. Licia, Lori, and the boys’ first teacher, Keverly, loved Darlens in the last days of his life and I am positive that he knew how loved he was. It will never make sense to us on earth why Darlens died so young. Why did he go through so much, making it long enough to get to Real Hope, and then survive a near-death experience with Cholera just to die a year later? These questions can either haunt us, or they can bring us closer to God in forcing us to trust His will for his and our lives. We can either hold onto the frustration that our unjust world brings us, or look ahead to a day when there will be no more suffering.<br />
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I am choosing to honor Darlens’ life by trusting that God’s plan for Darlens was enough. I am focusing on the amazing memories and impact Darlens left rather than finding fault in the way he suffered. I believe that when God allows suffering to happen, we are challenged to rethink the things that the world has taught us. Most of us function under a misconception that a long, healthy life is the ideal life, and that innocent suffering is not acceptable. Through Darlens’ death, I am reminded that health and longevity are not necessary for a life of love, which is what God calls us to… right? God’s ways are incomprehensible to us, but there is peace in knowing that Darlens is God’s son. Jesus died an innocent death, and his life was not in vain. Darlens’ suffering and death does not take away from the fact that through him, trust in the Lord and the love of God was exemplified. His life was in every way glorifying to our God. Every kid in the Rescue Center has a unique story to be told. While I am intensely grieving the loss of Darlens because of how much I invested in his story, I am reminded of God’s deep love for each and every one of us. It’s hard for me to imagine the complexity of a God who feels the way I do about Darlens for every single person in the world… a God who invests so deeply in our lives and wants so much for us to live a life of love, to know Him and to thrive through Him. For reasons only God can fathom, this was Darlens’ time to go. He will suffer no more, and his memories and story will hopefully encourage us to act more aggressively in facing the unjust ways of the world with the only successful solution: trust and faith in our amazing God.<br />
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Video of Darlens: (I was too lazy to upload it here!)http://www.realhopeforhaiti.org/?p=8183anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-36426945117341306262010-10-13T08:53:00.001-07:002010-10-13T09:04:01.823-07:00Sometimes things just don't make sense.As much as I try to make sense of some of the things I've seen and experienced it just doesn't happen. Truth is, I don't think God wants everything to happen. It's discouraging to think so many kids die everyday who wouldn't if they had been given a meal. It's not your "responsibility" to give those starving kids a meal, but God blesses those of us who are born into privilege with the invitation and opportunities to literally save lives. Why would anyone pass by such an honor and gift. We have the means and education to hep, and yet today 16,000 kids will die from hunger-related causes. What can we do? Pray... give funds... and share their stories. And be blessed by what you are able to give. God saves so many of these kids through RHFH... and I know my year there has blessed me beyond words. I miss my life there daily when I read stories of the new kids in the Rescue Center. Licia's blog blesses me every time she posts with reminders of the world only 2 hours from the US. <br />http://haitirescuecenter.wordpress.com/<br />Take a minute today and read some of her posts...anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-50279049731032963302010-09-13T22:25:00.000-07:002010-09-13T22:49:32.470-07:00prayer requestsI don't really like blogging when I'm not in Haiti, mostly because I don't feel like I have anything worth sharing. I don't have kids in my life who need their stories told. When I'm not in Haiti I feel like I'm wasting away- like every day I'm here I take away from what God could be doing through me there. I have accepted that God can work through me here also, but actually embracing that is harder than just acknowledging it. I feel like people here just don't get me anymore. I'm not normal, I don't want to fit in, whatever that means anyways. My perspective on what my professors lecture on is SO far from what the students around me discuss that I don't even see a point in trying to give my view. Church isn't the same since Haiti. I just can't seem to relate to the "problems" that are preached about in churches here. I haven't connected with a college group, I haven't even tried. A couple of my friends listen and care about the person I really am (and I love them dearly)- but just meeting people is different now than before Haiti came into my life. People are either weirded out by my experiences or think it's such an "amazing" deed I have done. Neither of those are easy to deal with for me. The hardest being when people tell me what a great thing I've done in serving "those people." I have accepted that coming to the states after living in Haiti will never be easy; the fact that I accepted that might have actually made it easier than last time I returned. My expectations are low. School is interesting, kind of. I'd rather be in Haiti. My friends are more amazing than I could ask for. I still miss Haiti. Sometimes I wish God had waited to send me to Haiti until I could move there, but then I would be a completely different person. <br /><br />I had a plan to be positive this year. I have done OK, this week has been a low point. I miss Haiti and need direction in school to feel like it's actually taking me somewhere. Would you mind praying for that for me? That God shows me his plan as far as school, and that I find a college group. I would appreciate it SO much.<br /><br />I am hoping and planning to go back to Haiti during winter break for a visit. I CAN'T wait. I can't wait to see Darlens. I can't wait to hug Carmelo, Henley and Trey and hear their new school experiences. It's what I have to look forward to, so I can be thankful for that. Thanks for your prayers. They mean more to me than you know.anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-45647724192435464732010-07-14T17:57:00.000-07:002010-07-14T20:38:43.528-07:00Who's fault is it then?Part of why it's been so hard for me to return home after being in Haiti is because I have to leave kids that I love. When I was at GLA, I cared for Berlancia the whole 9 months I was there. Every day, all day for 9 months. She was failure to thrive and had full blown AIDS when I met her. She was weak and behind developmentally. I loved her more than I have loved anyone in my life and when I left it was h.a.r.d. Then, about 2 months after I left, she died. I can't even describe how difficult that was for me. The guilt I felt for leaving was tearing at me and I hated myself for leaving when I didn't even want to. Everyone and their mother said they were sorry and that it wasn't my fault. That made it worse. If it's not my fault, who's was it? No one's? If I would have stayed, would she have lived? Who knows. If she was meant to die anyway then I just prolonged her suffering. She didn't have a mother to fight for her. I had the privilege of getting to fill that role for 9 months... then I left. I know that it wasn't my fault in the sense that i didn't cause her death or give her HIV or anything. But I did leave. Berlancia had a family waiting. An amazing, loving family. She would have had brothers and sisters and parents who would have taught her to walk with God. She was healthy- walking, laughing, starting to talk. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHVe22YPYljP2Z30ODFtx24Dk75RN9PnWu7UFEZHMNoJrCtx6lHqAxNVuylKlgEZpBfxQ9dbRgKdkRIT9931jZkunCPUQxEKoadUXAxeabHyTb5l3rULIB4WqtyryHdKQ5AgryPnUoDU/s1600/IMG_6308.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHVe22YPYljP2Z30ODFtx24Dk75RN9PnWu7UFEZHMNoJrCtx6lHqAxNVuylKlgEZpBfxQ9dbRgKdkRIT9931jZkunCPUQxEKoadUXAxeabHyTb5l3rULIB4WqtyryHdKQ5AgryPnUoDU/s400/IMG_6308.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493970634946668578" /></a><br /><br /> That family since has adopted another beautiful girl from GLA, who I also worked with. I don't have a single doubt in my mind that God planned for that girl to be in this family- they are a perfect match; but I can't help myself from thinking... what if. What if I had stayed and Berlancia hadn't died, and she had made it to the states and gotten the best medical care available. It kills me. So if there's that chance that I could have prevented that outcome by staying until she got home, then why isn't it my fault for leaving? I don't blame myself. But I think too many of us brought up with no doubt that we will have access to anything and everything we will ever need look at others who don't have that luxury, and overwhelmed by the needs, we justify not going above and beyond in helping and truly giving our lives and hearts and money, and whatever we can away because it really isn't our faults. We didn't choose for these kids/people to be suffering. But we CAN help. And when there is a need presented, if we get scared and turn away and say, well is not like we caused it, right?.... but what if we don't prevent something from happening that didn't have to. <br /> <br />When I left RHFH for Christmas, Nickenson (the little boy I had been caring for for 4 months) had a surgery for an abscess. He died on Christmas day. I wasn't there. I could not have done anything to prevent his death, but the person who he recognized and who loved him the most at that time in his life was not there. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOZ-eqKldqQqtv3JMHgO1RUu4iegdojWWszduEALK19E35e2RnRYoLhHzJIZnTv271Haq7VilstWc_IFhPTEiCeCZOK7w4VJahrXOR-GxWLN1uFCb9kTKiE-KwcfEp3EbbYSwMNCYLo0/s1600/Nikenson+close-up.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOZ-eqKldqQqtv3JMHgO1RUu4iegdojWWszduEALK19E35e2RnRYoLhHzJIZnTv271Haq7VilstWc_IFhPTEiCeCZOK7w4VJahrXOR-GxWLN1uFCb9kTKiE-KwcfEp3EbbYSwMNCYLo0/s400/Nikenson+close-up.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493970629051112130" /></a><br /><br />I left Haiti yesterday. A little girl who had been living with me for the past couple weeks, Marie-Rose, died this morning. I don't blame myself but I also know that there was a small chance that if I had stayed she might have lived. Even if that chance was .00000000000000000001 percent, I wasn't there. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6imI79i_gHR1m-68dWi77E9xVOgUufR2rgv0ZnIdPP6hfnYpEFeqg7iUr-ZfMedKd5OlEB6up7-eQgtiOhsu4o_H_3QgC1uJaDMWiKR55jil3Zz8BGwgwhrchLc7_VkqScSZDn7isDSM/s1600/IMG_5969.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6imI79i_gHR1m-68dWi77E9xVOgUufR2rgv0ZnIdPP6hfnYpEFeqg7iUr-ZfMedKd5OlEB6up7-eQgtiOhsu4o_H_3QgC1uJaDMWiKR55jil3Zz8BGwgwhrchLc7_VkqScSZDn7isDSM/s400/IMG_5969.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493970615293607138" /></a><br /><br />I have struggled with leaving Haiti every time and I know that me being there doesn't change the big picture. I am not solving the core of Haiti's problems. I am getting more out of my time there than anyone I am working with. But when I leave, and the kid that had been doing so well dies shortly after, how can I not wonder- what if...<br /><br />Every time I have talked to anyone about trying to decide whether or not I should finish school, there is always the "you will have so much more to give" comment made. I get that. If I become a doctor I will be able to save people that would have for sure died without my expertise. If I became a Physical Therapist I could enrich the lives of people who otherwise might not reach half the potential they could have. But I have a passion for malnourished kids, and when I have lived with them and seen how much a place like RHFH can do for those kids, and that I can be a part of it, school just doesn't seem that important. Tomorrow, 16,000 children will die from hunger. There is plenty of resources to save their lives, but still, they will die. 90% of those kids would get better if someone fed them 3 meals a day and loved on them. There are the kids who need IVs, and more intense care... but malnutrition, despite the epidemic it is in third world countries, has such an easy solution: food. The work of caring for malnourished kids is never ending in Haiti. With all the amazing organizations and causes in the world working to save malnourished kids, how are there still 16,000 kids dying EVERY DAY. <br /><br />I don't foresee in my lifetime all of Haiti's children having 3 balanced meals a day. Maybe I have lost hope, I think I am just realistic. I feel like God wants me home this year- I don't regret my decision to come back because if I had stayed, even if Marie-Rose had lived I wouldn't have felt like I was following God's plan for me. But imagine how weird that is for me- could it be that if I hadn't followed God's plan for me that Marie-Rose might have lived? It just doesn't seem right. But thats just it- this world is SO wrong, so full of sin and so unfair that there are people suffering as a result of how others live. I want to give God my all- that may include going to school even if it's not the first place I'd rather be. I don't know why, but I am going to give it a shot. I figure if I am home anyways I might as well go to school. I am hoping God gives me either a passion for a major that will allow me to give more of myself or give me peace in not finishing college. I feel like the world sees school as this enriching, enabling thing, and i just can't get on that bandwagon. I think knowledge is necessary to grow, but if we don't learn through Christ with a passion there's no point. Just like giving to others is something that makes us grow, but there is no point if it's not through Christ.anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-53835673716321985962010-07-09T21:15:00.000-07:002010-07-10T00:08:54.258-07:00Change"You've changed." A phrase that has been thrown at me more than once since Haiti came into my life. People change... it happens. Life experiences change who we are, even if we don't recognize it. One of the hardest parts of going back to the states after living at GLA the year after high school was being able to relate to people. I have never been an emotional person or super good at really being able to listen to people, and since I've lived in Haiti that part of me hasn't gotten any better. The truth is, I could care less about so many things that I used to care about or even try to care about. When people complain about how tired they are or how long the line was at the store or the terrible traffic they sat in and so on I have a resentment toward them and toward their complaints. I think about an 11 pound 3 year old still fighting for life, or a 2 year old so dehydrated she barely has the strength to breath in-between vomiting worms and nonstop diarrhea; and 25 year old women with her limbs swollen because she couldn't feed herself and her children so she chose to feed her kids; and people who have lost everything and everyone and still have smiles on their faces to greet you, and the kids who died because they were just too far gone when they finally reached the clinic.<br /> <br />Sometimes I resent the US for all it has and for all other places don't have, and I try to detach myself from the "rich white girl" label because honestly, in my mind, it's embarrassing to me to be that (when I say rich I mean food/clothes/school opportunities/house/necessities have always been available and a constant for me). I hate that I have everything handed to me on a silver platter but at the same time I don't reject any of it. I love that I have options in life but the guilt I feel for falling short makes me defensive toward recognizing that; because I know how much others work and would kill to have what I have. I feel guilty for what I have been given and it's hard for me to adjust back into my privileged life in the states. <br /> <br /> The worst part is how hypocritical I am in it all. I complain about stupid things all the time... I do the same things with my time and money that I get bothered by when other people do them. I fight with trying to lead a "normal life" when I go home and feeling guilty for everything "normal" I begin to do after a while. It's hard finding a balance between trying to get back into life in the states and feeling like Haiti is not being forgotten. My point in all this is: yes. I have changed. I will have a hard time adjusting. I will sound and act like I hate the US at times. Really, I just hate myself for not yet figuring out how to use my privileged life to help others. Last year was the hardest year of my life. Truth is, I am out of my comfort zone in the states any more. Socializing and being anywhere without a sick kid to take care of is hard and unrewarding to me. I have a hard time finding purpose outside of Haiti. Long term goals seem so hard to take part in when I have been blessed enough to be a part of the day-by-day fight for the life of some amazing kids. I feel like going to school makes me just another person to check the Successful Education bubble off the American Dream checklist; but I realize that if this is God's plan for me, to finish college, he will be able to use me even more than now. A good attitude is harder said than done. <br /> <br />I know a bad attitude toward life back in the states did nothing for me last year, and after the earthquake I anticipate it being even harder to leave where I feel completely at home. I want to make the best of what God has given me and work in and through Him wherever I am. I leave Haiti on Tuesday and it will not be easy or fun, but a good attitude could make all the difference in this next year. A lot of people think I don't want to share about Haiti or seem to think it is a sensitive subject. Truth is, it's my life- it's all I think about, dream for and love... I wish I could continue to talk the way I do here about things, but the culture and lifestyle in the states is so different that it's hard for me to share with people who have never experienced Haiti. Talking about babies dying as a normal occurrence is not normal in the states... the way I am with kids is different here than with kids in the states. The things I deal with on a daily basis here are things most people in my life have never had to think about... sickness, caring for kids whos limbs are so swollen from kwash that they are splitting open, maintaining IVS, cleaning up who knows how many diapers a day full of diarrhea, teaching(which I have loved), dealing with kids after they die, forcing kids to eat, trying to bond with a kid who has been neglected for years, waking up to feed kids every night and checking to see if they are breathing every time I go by them. These are the things that have become my normal- and I LOVE every minute of this lifestyle because God has given me a huge passion for the kids here. <br /> <br /> I want to share that with my friends and family at home but at the same time I feel weird talking about my life here because it makes so many people sad or unomfortable- and then I feel like I am misrepresenting Haiti. Haiti is one of the most beautiful, most rich places I have been and I have been blessed immeasurably by my life here. I want everyone to know and see that but first I have to be comfortable sharing with others when they ask... I was not able to do that last year for many reasons but I am praying that I grow in that area. If you wouldn't mind praying for me as I adjust I would appreciate it so much. I am excited about what next year will bring and don't want a bad attitude to get in the way of whatever God has in store for me. I have changed, and I hope to continue to change as God breaks and molds me... it's just hard going back and being a different person in a life that in many ways is the same as when I left.anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-65345540110203006042010-06-07T13:31:00.000-07:002010-07-09T23:25:27.154-07:00Hard Decisions<div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>So in deciding a big decision in my life I've found myself completely lost and confused. My heart and my gut feeling are at war. I had to decide whether to stay here or to leave and go back to school next year... So many times I've felt 100% sure that I would be here next year. It feels right here. I love the people, life and work I do here. But then something in me- my gut would turn on me and confuse the heck out of me. Being raised in a society where almost everyone says to follow your heart didn't help in this decision. If I followed my heart I would be in Haiti for the rest of my life, and I would never reach out to anyone or anything uncomfortable for me. My heart doesn't like change, doesn't like different, and doesn't like life outside of Haiti anymore. Last year ALL I wanted was to be back in Haiti forever. I prayed for a sure sign and place to go to. Then I got the perfect opportunity and committed within a week of hearing of RHFH... it couldn't have been more perfect for me- I love the Betor family like my own and everything I've gotten to do with and for them. I love RHFH and the work they do in Haiti is amazing and I want to be a part of their work here as long as God allows. What I have been struggling with is whether more school is in God's plan for me or not. And honestly, all the prayer and thinking and late night worrying has done nothing for me. </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Licia and I agreed that I would let her know my decision by May 15th. I want so much to stay here next year. Every emotion in me and everything in my heart screams to never leave Haiti again- because last year was the hardest year of my life. And yet, something in me feels like I have to go to school. That something holds zero reason or passion, and still, I have decided to leave next year. I am not happy about it. I don't have peace with my decision. I don't feel like I need school to be happy, to be smart or to be able to help people. But something in me feels like I have to try one more time... so I will. I don't know if its God calling me or if I am just going crazy but for whatever reason I can't shake the gut feeling...<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>it's still hard thinking about the decision I made- I shocked myself when I said it outloud to Licia.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>So July 12th I leave here and don't know when I'll be back.And I will make the best of it- I will try to be a better sister/ daughter/ friend/ student/ person and most of all Christian next year and do my best to make the best out of a decision that I am not quite positive why I am choosing. It will be hard. I know it will kill me some days not being where my heart is and feeling like my life is not where it should be. But I also know that if I don't do this I might have regrets and I believe God is in this decision- maybe He is just testing me to see if I will follow Him wherever He leads... I have never had to make a decision like this where my gut feeling interferes with my emotions. Going to Haiti instead of college straight out of high school was a big decision- but I was excited for it and felt like it was where I was called to. I am feeling called back to the states but not excited about it. My prayer is that wherever God wants me, that is where my heart will also want to be. It sure is easier that way... I guess I just have to learn to trust that no matter where I am, He will make things work out in His timing. So here's to doing my best to stay positive and cherish my last month and a half here... and start planning a trip back of course! </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Side note: My mom and sister are coming for two weeks from June 24th- July 7th. I am beyond excited. Really really really stinking excited. My mom visited GLA while I was living there but she's never been to RHFH. My sister has never been to Haiti and I'm stoked she's coming. I can't wait! :D</div>anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-22973527606727486382010-06-01T08:00:00.000-07:002010-06-01T08:42:27.522-07:00WAY late flag day pics<div style="text-align: left;">For Flag Day here in Haiti, Carmelo and I made a pinata to take over to the RC and have a party. We made a Haiti flag and it took 3 days of that being our art hour to finish- we will never make a pinata like this again... but it was worth it :) We strung streamers, set up a safe-ish area for the onlookers and hung the pinata...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzl9CU3q-A6L3WcO6gLhXjAqOiNGJ2jewSkkMRQbW2rtauvkxsfGfMP0qCwNHC7eirDswIui6NwjWR3AqA0RNHqE_Y-Mj6GDRd8Ds5ozAnMZ7YxpKnKbh1cRY5Uu2nB6oaSM2xAvq9iis/s400/May+19+10+a+056.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBYdRs3LBXetEFSNrDXwQq6pc1WYzEBMMSSNd3NzXydCwMP7H5y6yj06gIfGzbqeMJTSPI3TIGcpRGecC5GjT05lJ9erp0g546yoLkyN8JD-Ne233GbzTitZUpn4jhyC4ciChoxL1q6s8/s400/May+19+10+a+060.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibyaBACv1Srhtqin28CD6f1dAUTjbYXzlAlHXlJ7FsasHkvBuZ693HBuEQ8b-Y5EIb9xqwvefCr8Hpr0A89N_OP4fVUG303iGqAN6uL49KS0xxe3rdHt-0687FZPl7q_TyFsdwUYnHo88/s400/May+19+10+a+070.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The kids had a blast hitting it and when everyone had a turn it was time to bring in the RC ladies in to finish the job. I think they might have had more fun than the kids ;)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfPL-hzF5WxsC0x5PfuxreLap95gMkhBa9kk2FH3k8YN8cQvHI-ud9jqVem4wT9-P6TZfDAZTXpthGSPc8AUhzn1nUVje2PK2RKy5nypwtcvO4-DLUS_qqda_-Qz77N2b51hvw9K9khI/s400/May+19+10+a+106.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJjxDbLaED5ezSnjROsE4-rhyphenhyphen82BYV1lvOgX6nLe1uyaT7m38a5V3TGUDKLbC_pCNPFpnWzbEKaEKrZ6EAJ4g7hmh8JTG073K4-XNktxrQ8dUQ_vfj_OTw-GoBA_cIVzX9L-NSN85YFk0/s400/May+19+10+a+095.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">...and finally the candy!</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNji5hC3GLCrlorngQvo-eRkiYe5GjVnvsAX4H4zNjIK9s3jiL0CegFFZDv4RAxh3APBacxPVMbV44jCSca6N00RSdHUmZuUQD8mAlDGHgpMScjrJnSTZ0i0K-XmJnvFTWuZMhhAbKR9k/s1600/May+19+10+a+125.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNji5hC3GLCrlorngQvo-eRkiYe5GjVnvsAX4H4zNjIK9s3jiL0CegFFZDv4RAxh3APBacxPVMbV44jCSca6N00RSdHUmZuUQD8mAlDGHgpMScjrJnSTZ0i0K-XmJnvFTWuZMhhAbKR9k/s400/May+19+10+a+125.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477825441714396290" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">The boys and I made red and blue frosting to put on the brownies for the party, it was a hit.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEI_E0rJ6KKTuTtUIGDkWf-46wtbUUq4MBlC6u5umLgJkymyCpNJbY68-pOzNrW8LNx2-x41X3g8_H7hyphenhyphenPsZyc1xTaVLYlnNeL_Doa5c2oGrPp0Gd_aw5ghz1MeNfUlVLOf3dB6bbZiFI/s1600/May+19+10+a+123.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEI_E0rJ6KKTuTtUIGDkWf-46wtbUUq4MBlC6u5umLgJkymyCpNJbY68-pOzNrW8LNx2-x41X3g8_H7hyphenhyphenPsZyc1xTaVLYlnNeL_Doa5c2oGrPp0Gd_aw5ghz1MeNfUlVLOf3dB6bbZiFI/s400/May+19+10+a+123.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477825439857674706" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW76ML5-kmeU2aTECVamjIYuIJiCJYef32fK6-_ZhTuFY7B7Ygbtv-sYDEFCD1Tz9X3E6kCHLW59GTrOW8iyM5ukY_U7vqThmBvLp4-QSLIFDHeIFJdx5c2mnntS1liziAJyAXBn1vvR4/s1600/May+19+10+a+121.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW76ML5-kmeU2aTECVamjIYuIJiCJYef32fK6-_ZhTuFY7B7Ygbtv-sYDEFCD1Tz9X3E6kCHLW59GTrOW8iyM5ukY_U7vqThmBvLp4-QSLIFDHeIFJdx5c2mnntS1liziAJyAXBn1vvR4/s400/May+19+10+a+121.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477825427125947634" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWQTbKThGDNQDD9Y_iUZ_NlG_V8Bv5yDhaQk6z8_n1jVKfv1dakKcifYka4RASyNNGeTFtep5oLiAsi364PlC5vElPOD-Q9i8Myzdln2RRxSfl8Byr9qkaQ_azyA71OD2yckPvlTpnaYQ/s1600/May+19+10+a+118.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWQTbKThGDNQDD9Y_iUZ_NlG_V8Bv5yDhaQk6z8_n1jVKfv1dakKcifYka4RASyNNGeTFtep5oLiAsi364PlC5vElPOD-Q9i8Myzdln2RRxSfl8Byr9qkaQ_azyA71OD2yckPvlTpnaYQ/s400/May+19+10+a+118.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477825422769484082" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENfG3hscWYqKivV2xszWElvAk01YY6PgWLQpKIrbz1te2ZwknhObnEvw6eJHHFhRjq0FvDmb6acVR2Y_5MZWUc81-oy1mHaIvWUGAzlacJgWYKhY3J5l_anwZrVmmk5QIFDmDqYFNFE4/s1600/May+19+10+a+115.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENfG3hscWYqKivV2xszWElvAk01YY6PgWLQpKIrbz1te2ZwknhObnEvw6eJHHFhRjq0FvDmb6acVR2Y_5MZWUc81-oy1mHaIvWUGAzlacJgWYKhY3J5l_anwZrVmmk5QIFDmDqYFNFE4/s400/May+19+10+a+115.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477825416212079138" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">and not one kid went to bed without running circles for hours and then passing out in a sugar coma. God is good and life is beautiful. Haiti will always be where my heart is...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-20610927385456603222010-05-18T20:11:00.000-07:002010-05-18T20:25:38.531-07:00Happy Flag Day Ayiti!!Today is/was flag day in Haiti. It was a perfect day- we made a flag pinata and haiti brownies in school and set up a party at the rescue center. We had diri blan ak sos pwa (white rice and bean sauce- my fav. Haitian meal) for lunch, and I dressed up Darlens and took him on our walk (I often leave him here) and did a mini Haiti photo shoot on a bench in the middle of Haiti's beautiful mountains in honor of flag day... I'm too lazy to put a post together with details and pics from today- that is to come. For now, enjoy these pics of Darlens deciding to mess up the photo shoot by eating the one thing I'd rather him NOT eat :) <br /><br /><br />God made dirt...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHxm3ZutRsGXs0PhRAqBQpOV4dx74-yqiZ8nmHgPl0H7hkt4R_AgDzwGOjohq0kinARWxP8fUQgm6NFa6XkUEx4QQl7PUgPf4Ia4Tc1v_gWwdDmqYHYrGBBC3JYSuLXaQk63K-DpXD98/s1600/IMG_3260.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHxm3ZutRsGXs0PhRAqBQpOV4dx74-yqiZ8nmHgPl0H7hkt4R_AgDzwGOjohq0kinARWxP8fUQgm6NFa6XkUEx4QQl7PUgPf4Ia4Tc1v_gWwdDmqYHYrGBBC3JYSuLXaQk63K-DpXD98/s400/IMG_3260.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472815762905039538" /></a><br /><br />and dirt don't hurt...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfczet0wdtibKQawe8NfRIqAK1iFFDqiySQPwgfsy49jwmpgLqiExmDUAWvlJBCsd7B-pj-wabS4-ffPan_lEKLMpdQ53_S6iv8aBZnOiFYcRcw9vKcjIMBYmH9STOC4ZJNznobP85wUI/s1600/IMG_3259.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfczet0wdtibKQawe8NfRIqAK1iFFDqiySQPwgfsy49jwmpgLqiExmDUAWvlJBCsd7B-pj-wabS4-ffPan_lEKLMpdQ53_S6iv8aBZnOiFYcRcw9vKcjIMBYmH9STOC4ZJNznobP85wUI/s400/IMG_3259.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472815758069779778" /></a><br /><br />but it sure doesn't taste good! (or have any calories... dang it!) <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDm7ui3LzP4dQzOVCKCSLqIAyYFfTTQpQyMAYJti9J6iL8hHwSCG5EwaB1mVyNIom9MxpF7M_Fp8URvyYbIca7aLRIQQ9h0nQTIF8_Lcuq0smAwgey_qD8TleUAQSVYuX0TEW5qyTnNkk/s1600/IMG_3258.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDm7ui3LzP4dQzOVCKCSLqIAyYFfTTQpQyMAYJti9J6iL8hHwSCG5EwaB1mVyNIom9MxpF7M_Fp8URvyYbIca7aLRIQQ9h0nQTIF8_Lcuq0smAwgey_qD8TleUAQSVYuX0TEW5qyTnNkk/s400/IMG_3258.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472815749233001074" /></a><br /><br />On a side note- Darlens has had 3 good eating days in a row- praise God! Thanks for all you who are praying for him. God is good... always :)anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-67171997182015176452010-05-14T11:24:00.000-07:002010-05-14T12:17:40.986-07:00a little more about Darlens...I have gotten a bit of feedback/advice on my rant from yesterday- thanks :) I want you to know that I do understand that the gagging is completely a conrtol issue (for Darlens) and not an actual gag reflex. I understand that, even if subconsciously, he wants what he wants and he will do what works to get that. I understand that my reaction to these power struggles are majorly affecting his behavior. I would label him failure to thrive. Berlancia was "failure to thrive" but once she got attached to me (which took months) she would do anything to please me. Ex: If I wanted her to eat and gave her good feedback, she would smile, stuff her face and be happy, and then gain weight. I was able to get to the point where I understood Berlancia's body (she had AIDS) so well that I was able to control her fevers by knowing her behavior days before and keeping sure she was keeping hydrated/eating yogurt. It prevented her from getting sick. It worked for her while I was there... I don't know the science of why, but it did. It took a long time to get to that point, but I was fortunate enough to get to know her like that and for whatever reason it worked for us. Nickenson had gag reflexes which were more of a tolerance issue than a control issue. Once I figured that out I was able to feed him a little at a time more frequently and he started to do better. I know neither of these kids are comparable to Darlens, but identifying the natural gag reflex vs control gag is what I have learned from them. (yes- both of those kids died. no- neither child's COD had to do with the fact that they wouldn't eat. I got past that point with both of them before they died).<br /><br />I understand that the fact that Darlens has been neglected and starved for three years makes him unusual and that "normal" care/punishment/treatment will not work on him. My dilemma is I don't think there is one "right" solution for kids like him. Every kid is different and I believe each child is different in the way they respond to things. Despite my many attempts/efforts, I have not found the one that works for him. What I know for sure is that if I don't get him stronger/fatter/more mobile he will continue to fall back and, if he lives, will be even more mentally and physically handicapped than he already is. I don't want that to happen. But at the same time I want him to live (obviously). <br />So, how do you get a child to eat when they don't want to? I tried tubing him but it didn't seem to make much of a difference. One day it would work great and the next he would see the food going down the tube and throw up. Ok... so I tried when he was asleep. He's a sensitive sleeper. Fail. He has control over his own body. I need to find a way to manipulate him into wanting to eat when I need him to. If he doesn't want to eat and I put food in his mouth he holds it there for HOURS. And then drools it out when he falls asleep. If he chooses to eat, he'll chew it and then decide when he's done. The amount of food he can stomach is not an issue: today he ate 2 eggs, 3 crackers, and milk with yogurt all in the same hour. That was this morning and it is still in him. Yesterday he ate a bite of eggs and when I gave him another bite he threw it all up and then proceeded to refuse to not eat/drink a single thing all day except for if I gave him straight pedialyte. My enthusiasm with him eating (positive reinforcement) does not seem to bring anything new into the control game we play. If I yell at him or smack him on the cheek while he gags he stops and doesn't throw up; but that is (debatably) a hindrance to his psych issues with food.<br /> So a summary on him: I know it's not an actual food tolerance issue since some days he is able to eat anything and everything with no gag reflex. After a good day he decides he doesn't want anything but his orange flavored pedialyte. He refuses to drink anything else. He refuses to eat anything else.I have tried mixing things with pedialyte and tried not doing it in front of him and he notices, and gags. He wants what he wants and his whole life has conditioned him to win at the food power struggle. If it's one of his "refusal to eat" days, I can refuse to give him pedialyte in hopes that he will eat/drink other stuff so that he gets the calories he needs, but he just opts out of eating/drinking at all. After all, he is 3 years old and came here weighing 11.4 pounds. It's not like the kid isn't used to not eating for days and days. SO. My options are- 1. let him not eat and wonder if after a couple days he will eat whatever I give him and 2. give him the pedialyte and get those calories down him and keep him hydrated and hope something changes with time.<br /> Neither of these have worked yet. I need an option 3. Anyone???anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-31191083063655487102010-05-13T19:38:00.000-07:002010-05-13T20:14:20.771-07:00Excuse me while I rant for a moment...Darlens is killing me. I don't understand him and why one day he can eat a sandwich and eggs and a yogurt and crackers and rice and jello, and the next day he cant keep down one single thing. Most kids I've taken care of like this are very special in their needs but there is some sort of pattern, some consistency which once discovered makes caring for them a bit more easy and predictable. He only ever wants pedialyte(sp?) and if he sees me pouring anything but that into his bottle, he gags and proceeds to throw up the entire contents of his stomach. Ummmm, I'm not very smart but that just isn't normal or right. He is 3 years old and acts that age when it comes to getting spoiled and wanting what he wants, but he can't do anything but sit there. He hates to use his legs. I make him use his legs for at least 45 min a day now (standing/jumper/working on movement) but he is starting to throw tantrums (yes tantrums- no tears involved)and I am hoping it stops- it's not the best background noise for school. I am able to leave him alone because of his immobility... otherwise I'm pretty sure I would have gone insane by now. He only will make one noise: hmmm... hmmmm... hmmm... hmmm... hmmm... hmmmm... hmmm. Humming. ALL DAY&NIGHT LONG. And I'm not talking a soothing humm. I'm talking you tell an ornery kid not to hum in the car and they do an in.your.face HUUUUMMMMM. Seriously, the kid will be passed out in his bed at 11pm and then all the sudden from his crib comes a hmm.. hmmm...hmmm... hmmm... and there he is, humming. This happens about 20 times throughout the night. I have learned to sleep through most of it but honestly, for such a little dude he's got an impressive set of humming chords. Because that's apparently all they do... and his poop. Let's not even go there. This kid is crazy, and apparently it's contagious. Well, at least he's happy; most of the time...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMc9tr84ZNTBCOKxnv7KkD9g1QiNUftmaWpfX2QYt_uQWXiASnNZHorZ9Vo4LavOixNodWlGbTZm5rTAIva_wyBhcD2OLZB3vKsYLXUaSyY0kva_ism1Tv_kyx1JvqvpGd9LoeDlCvLA/s1600/IMG_1391.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMc9tr84ZNTBCOKxnv7KkD9g1QiNUftmaWpfX2QYt_uQWXiASnNZHorZ9Vo4LavOixNodWlGbTZm5rTAIva_wyBhcD2OLZB3vKsYLXUaSyY0kva_ism1Tv_kyx1JvqvpGd9LoeDlCvLA/s400/IMG_1391.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470956396508105346" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />He's dang lucky he's cute.<br /><br />disclaimers:<br />yes i love him<br />yes i understand he is this way because of what he's been through<br />yes i know i chose to care for him<br />yes i want to wring his neck sometimes. Oh wait, thats not a disclaimer... honesty time! ;)anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-83793085505411137962010-05-12T14:15:00.000-07:002010-05-12T14:33:38.073-07:00What we learned in art today...<div>art is (very) fun!</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03bzx6wx4HJzQwauGROwXgBK_5h2y6g_s_j87cjmd3hhbywVgBtkEcfRnRbxPjFk90gH2Ofaf14AsNh7K8mM7TCdqVzdBI4BkFzwe8Yz1Sqe-12-c6tLM0FJL9PWsD8Xdfz50Nt3hFpA/s1600/art+is+fun!.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03bzx6wx4HJzQwauGROwXgBK_5h2y6g_s_j87cjmd3hhbywVgBtkEcfRnRbxPjFk90gH2Ofaf14AsNh7K8mM7TCdqVzdBI4BkFzwe8Yz1Sqe-12-c6tLM0FJL9PWsD8Xdfz50Nt3hFpA/s400/art+is+fun!.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470498493558563794" /></a>kids who eat paint are losers...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-5lbA6bxRGBFOMJnI-P90yPHXJ1PBqo_fkbHKcruLGwzOCQX6DDP97vg6Jbuzd5gHIIzlT7vbqJUAEhB-Dmc1CvdQt6TYNerWQOLSTSD2Yp5INZMB07dTfn2pWx_wofK3eZh8Og2XJU/s1600/losers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-5lbA6bxRGBFOMJnI-P90yPHXJ1PBqo_fkbHKcruLGwzOCQX6DDP97vg6Jbuzd5gHIIzlT7vbqJUAEhB-Dmc1CvdQt6TYNerWQOLSTSD2Yp5INZMB07dTfn2pWx_wofK3eZh8Og2XJU/s400/losers.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470498480502154802" /></a>kids who can't hold their pencils get them taped to their hands...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPPAXd9U5QsWWivu1VoD_rR785x9fZ0EHM5mg9IvHuTQ-dpfumqI4qnLuOKAI7ebTc8PHT-jRpTONGlZdX-vwOdYYM-nvn2qJSQIOeYolu2rUooTkWsq9c8fj-bNt-xESZ7oLiWaZVfw/s1600/henley+dropping+pencils....jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPPAXd9U5QsWWivu1VoD_rR785x9fZ0EHM5mg9IvHuTQ-dpfumqI4qnLuOKAI7ebTc8PHT-jRpTONGlZdX-vwOdYYM-nvn2qJSQIOeYolu2rUooTkWsq9c8fj-bNt-xESZ7oLiWaZVfw/s400/henley+dropping+pencils....jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470498472652827282" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">purse your lips to hold a mustache...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLCjglG8q2u3gO2qQUwhbnEbiMftiYkLYnuBpX4JKoqTcn9NPo2V9Roh8oGvzqxWId1Jk-eN0kJ2WKWCxTeQpB70aWGx36sq1Intmr4A_3AE2sREiShBfYs8cr0tUEZTweIPyG424Nps/s400/teaching+trey+to+stache.jpg" /></div><div>well, maybe Trey didn't master that today. There's always tomorrow...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbtuw04iVRTStfAlXQX-kkgeQjAZ8Jo_iPCD3Tn-gWo2qpIbU8wgbNLlWWe5101zsoAuvEBKUHa-kcALlHIjvpW2_HnzHU5JpPzDS5MLX9PF0Ac_OasCc1bEnj7C5rWiJD2FgEOqTTZ8/s1600/mustache+w+henley+%26+trey.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbtuw04iVRTStfAlXQX-kkgeQjAZ8Jo_iPCD3Tn-gWo2qpIbU8wgbNLlWWe5101zsoAuvEBKUHa-kcALlHIjvpW2_HnzHU5JpPzDS5MLX9PF0Ac_OasCc1bEnj7C5rWiJD2FgEOqTTZ8/s400/mustache+w+henley+%26+trey.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470498460407545602" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">I love my job :)</div></div>anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-8700988107921408442010-05-12T05:16:00.000-07:002010-05-12T05:44:29.419-07:00Aprons!<div>A while back we put out a request for new aprons for the Rescue Center staff on the blog. SO many people responded and we are thankful for all of you who helped in sewing these for them! They take pride in the aprons and I've noticed most of them have their favorites and wear the same one often :) These aprons are worn daily and are much appreciated- thanks to everyone who helped, either by having a sewing day at your church or tackling a few at home!</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFe4e4SjkZPv6YXh1e_8GWuPK86uuDsbG8xDIJgnHDBGvkj1aBN3a-n0wxx3e94km3JBPioKfWmzFL3aiFJlCxl6gDWC93O41q5kTLh1HUP7d33muBNjXt77s_NPdXYwzeLjEP8hEAqIw/s1600/IMG_2753.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFe4e4SjkZPv6YXh1e_8GWuPK86uuDsbG8xDIJgnHDBGvkj1aBN3a-n0wxx3e94km3JBPioKfWmzFL3aiFJlCxl6gDWC93O41q5kTLh1HUP7d33muBNjXt77s_NPdXYwzeLjEP8hEAqIw/s400/IMG_2753.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470360753019972306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSO74gVwbj1mPNNfTaBIXMM7d5Tbh6b9s8kyrg4hgSnXH44hPjdBP5M6_-XNieiY0plU1OVhUfcXXdj0hysM-QndSOx7ZPprByAqbpQHTBs57rCtbVea3FkSKGiMv4h0MliET7hhKOe-g/s1600/IMG_2751.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSO74gVwbj1mPNNfTaBIXMM7d5Tbh6b9s8kyrg4hgSnXH44hPjdBP5M6_-XNieiY0plU1OVhUfcXXdj0hysM-QndSOx7ZPprByAqbpQHTBs57rCtbVea3FkSKGiMv4h0MliET7hhKOe-g/s400/IMG_2751.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470360752151470130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVA9An8J4kUY42P_5ptc3NebV_P0JebwNoTTbl26MJGRT8xCx8VecmF8iEs6jTP7GNB4HTzwDp_w_U7Z19TFyTRO5BVpqlFTfNjX3s_ANd3ch6KUkG9zMvG-LyL2NOtEUjjRTYBvatJc/s1600/IMG_2750.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVA9An8J4kUY42P_5ptc3NebV_P0JebwNoTTbl26MJGRT8xCx8VecmF8iEs6jTP7GNB4HTzwDp_w_U7Z19TFyTRO5BVpqlFTfNjX3s_ANd3ch6KUkG9zMvG-LyL2NOtEUjjRTYBvatJc/s400/IMG_2750.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470360742619588146" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdv5qhdvaQ5esOWzUnjmL4KOPUy3hY_ymB7tFfvuytZBwBQSuF0Lh0paaTF4mzPxq3O4j1wNXCPJSOd_AARHvpWIEBbwPuGI7J-H-n4qQyxX1R-NjOqS90h-KgSD_gMebehr8bHPTtbY/s1600/IMG_2746.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdv5qhdvaQ5esOWzUnjmL4KOPUy3hY_ymB7tFfvuytZBwBQSuF0Lh0paaTF4mzPxq3O4j1wNXCPJSOd_AARHvpWIEBbwPuGI7J-H-n4qQyxX1R-NjOqS90h-KgSD_gMebehr8bHPTtbY/s400/IMG_2746.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470360730310849938" /></a>The one sewing day I went to was at Fair Oaks Press at Christmas time... everyone was so happy to sew for these ladies... thanks to Fair Oaks Pres and all the other churches taking up projects like these. You rock :)anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-53423923680721492152010-04-25T15:51:00.000-07:002010-04-25T20:01:35.721-07:00Briana<div style="text-align: left;">Sometimes, because I live with these kids, and see them every day- i forget how far they have come. I forget how much they suffered. I forget what a miracle each of them are. I forget why I feel so close to each and every one of them. Then I randomly go through my pictures and think to myself oh my gosh... how could I have forgotten. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKFaJEvnLhnyVJW0J6AslURUJTuf2qE-kigfG6XfW7Nv-UAatHnqttJLVh8rRXaeSNGjDampNxKwjMtSSPKdixmY7unrAxhi4hxngyu-zHuY713GLjnL0OcWTQVrkdSAgnbfud9CjoJNs/s400/PB080581.JPG" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRk8WzvgJ87o7FoOZZY1_mmioBuTL6iurb43P1Z8Gr_5D9wC90IIWm4quOesSlJEw2t2U9FP3fx3rIlqiNMso1kx3pitPYvVx66Y-A660Oz4hcq0NB3bZ7jfqkqfG4QE6Ve5UEaG9es4/s400/PB080588.JPG" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEzUv35Gi96G18l5cj3lJZjmVTWQaChg1W2LVmpu7zTEMQOML_knr7Y8oAjTvH0wOjs4NDGPqnWshwxTG9XcGRTxcPG1q-6YKgLxMPDx2psA0jvYnBVoG-QwxisHTCQJMJvz14rMLNek/s400/PB080582.JPG" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Briana came to RHFH shortly after I got here, in September. She was d.i.s.g.u.s.t.i.n.g... emaciated, scabby from her scabies, and miserable. She had a fever all the time. I remember taking her a couple times up to my room and just sitting being with her. Struggling to hold and love her. She was not cute. She was not cuddly. She didn't smile. She had diarrhea and skin infections oozing. She was the second kid that I have come across in Haiti that took conscious effort to love. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I think of God, and how he loves every single person on this earth without fail. Think about that... there are a lot of nasty people in this world. There are a lot of people that straight up reject Him and He still loves them. How many times do I do stuff for selfish reasons, or out of complete ignorance and he still loves me. And I think of how many times I fail to love like He would. How many times I pick to spend my time with people I enjoy loving. The thing is, that's not what life as a Christian is about. One of my struggles is keeping people in my life that aren't people I have a lot in common with. I don't always work to have relationships with people for the sake of loving them. In the states I hang out with people I respect, look up to and in general people that I naturally like. I don't always reach out and try to be a friend to anyone who I don't "click" with because, well... that's uncomfortable. And I like things comfortable... but honestly, how many people can you truly affect if they aren't out of your comfort zone. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Briana was out of my comfort zone. She was hard to spend time with- it was not enjoyable for me. One of the day staff in the RC, Jocelyn, spend most of her time holding Briana and talking to her, loving her, feeding her. She loved Briana with the same love that God has for us. Briana is now one of the chunkiest little girls in the RC. Constantly smiling, and has come so far developmentally. </div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The staff here are angles for doing what they do day in and day out. Loving someone without feeling love for them at first is one of the hardest things I've ever done. Berlancia was my first experience with that. I was asked to take her all day every day when I volunteered at GLA. She was failure to thrive, she was not attaching to me like my other kids were. She was hard to love. It took patience, lot of time and perseverance. Berlancia ended up to be the best thing that ever happened to me. She changed my life and who I am. 9 months with her and I knew how it felt to love unconditionally- like God loves us. That is how Briana was loved by Jocelyn, and there is no better proof of God's love than the current pics of her:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajGEluNS0KHI8Euatl61Lc2mZwU88N3ZeydhaFd9B9VnGgGhM-fCOxPasO58mFCtuiZogcaUXFiGf4f7wYvZV_odMsAWDcfAWbS9wusI6jGGjRzSaPeJxmihr2fIzNdD6F4w_w_AJ5Qc/s1600/briana+after.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajGEluNS0KHI8Euatl61Lc2mZwU88N3ZeydhaFd9B9VnGgGhM-fCOxPasO58mFCtuiZogcaUXFiGf4f7wYvZV_odMsAWDcfAWbS9wusI6jGGjRzSaPeJxmihr2fIzNdD6F4w_w_AJ5Qc/s400/briana+after.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464227423466316482" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMM6OpI_6sw2asHOGHmeN-ZS_YC4burJyE3UQ7wXMp4dhuo_noREr6B4HbZoRz0ehSBctm6IqB7oaY64_uUD6FCQ2Xq9MpCHqr0Trs7gvSaGDV5lOwCKsd18AxrGZZNU4IlI4Ja3gR5c/s1600/briana+after+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMM6OpI_6sw2asHOGHmeN-ZS_YC4burJyE3UQ7wXMp4dhuo_noREr6B4HbZoRz0ehSBctm6IqB7oaY64_uUD6FCQ2Xq9MpCHqr0Trs7gvSaGDV5lOwCKsd18AxrGZZNU4IlI4Ja3gR5c/s400/briana+after+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464227419547476466" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqY09hDYQeV012u9u2RLnjk91vuM0fvo7Iut-5BgSbzwZxRD0zA2MITLMO8yPcbgjSpxe0QMACtlcIly3QR0qGkxBouBDkaeHXZ3_FjjNuJ1LOSpvaVH4VDDDHDl4M-fVqhPmZTW8XAEE/s1600/briana+after+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqY09hDYQeV012u9u2RLnjk91vuM0fvo7Iut-5BgSbzwZxRD0zA2MITLMO8yPcbgjSpxe0QMACtlcIly3QR0qGkxBouBDkaeHXZ3_FjjNuJ1LOSpvaVH4VDDDHDl4M-fVqhPmZTW8XAEE/s400/briana+after+1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464227412050817810" /></a>anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-19305722579408622332010-04-19T17:57:00.001-07:002010-04-19T18:17:11.051-07:00Guess who his first haircut! :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKCMSURSZmnVTHloj-I2ryuuXn1nilj7X8PQ-9bGcijr3-1zbCsg611UpfzQF7YupcKeT4Coi70WPEobb8OrB9ANOExNJ2f6Jay32JfziQKFiYLlQxJpqZFVgCFPeL1Udk-Ok4YPw-Oo/s1600/Darlens+mohawk.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKCMSURSZmnVTHloj-I2ryuuXn1nilj7X8PQ-9bGcijr3-1zbCsg611UpfzQF7YupcKeT4Coi70WPEobb8OrB9ANOExNJ2f6Jay32JfziQKFiYLlQxJpqZFVgCFPeL1Udk-Ok4YPw-Oo/s400/Darlens+mohawk.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462022293883331074" /></a>anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-56759904958533385502010-04-18T15:57:00.000-07:002010-04-18T18:33:40.128-07:00Welcome to Cazale!<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVo6g9Z-YTqBELe62s1g2LwyTnl7-ABMDYmMU3FEBgCbd2PttIGaWqhOBHWECyT-W0ZdnI_4xk8U-7TB6qHwT45VtEfhTHZKbhqux5e_1Sctstyij2pkjEXtdGSg0ShZS9JklOPlY88XU/s400/IMG_1563.JPG" /></div><div>We almost always have bananas in Cazale- and they are SOO good. There's also almost plantains- best described (by me) as the banana's brother. They are really good boiled in soup or flattened and fried. </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKay3ai3pl8PI7WnvwohmV0y3zNSv6kMvu5SamfCtByQbN5RaU00a4gvgFK6REaiTQiXmIBfe97HvL8dcjVnUHjp90s8YZmjevEU0nd2s1OWcyehrMYdQCSfEh9wYq4ev4KsRPFCxx4kw/s1600/IMG_1581.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKay3ai3pl8PI7WnvwohmV0y3zNSv6kMvu5SamfCtByQbN5RaU00a4gvgFK6REaiTQiXmIBfe97HvL8dcjVnUHjp90s8YZmjevEU0nd2s1OWcyehrMYdQCSfEh9wYq4ev4KsRPFCxx4kw/s400/IMG_1581.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461621152576214706" /></a>Breadfruit is known as the "poor man's" food, but only because there is an abundance of them. I think they are delicious- they have the same texture as potatoes but have a unique flavor.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHp6Xv1NSRn3_yzBkw0bWAlA6yYZv7DWdRATmGlsi0RW9Lx92zHT2sSjGATldIOS5qxYnZsa4sorebF4PB3VCteVYYjqCPz-GmrshMhkF88p2e8UibDRXY4AIN94FJ5LJ-dSUlp-9O2CE/s1600/IMG_1567.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHp6Xv1NSRn3_yzBkw0bWAlA6yYZv7DWdRATmGlsi0RW9Lx92zHT2sSjGATldIOS5qxYnZsa4sorebF4PB3VCteVYYjqCPz-GmrshMhkF88p2e8UibDRXY4AIN94FJ5LJ-dSUlp-9O2CE/s400/IMG_1567.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461621147057741682" /></a>Mangos in Haiti are absolutely amazing. If you think you have tasted a mango and you've never been to Haiti you are mistaken. So come in mango season and see for yourself!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHiBTCVRDgpBeS4mLdkMO3U1dsD8dp_qQGbUctxuC3_X3kfy7YJICs2JwzD8SWr4JKo3dpyPjUQMk-lI5LU69LPtyVODdJdfr6HfNKtycgI3KhBC07STavYMDObLSiyLOezDrKJBCeLjk/s1600/IMG_1565.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHiBTCVRDgpBeS4mLdkMO3U1dsD8dp_qQGbUctxuC3_X3kfy7YJICs2JwzD8SWr4JKo3dpyPjUQMk-lI5LU69LPtyVODdJdfr6HfNKtycgI3KhBC07STavYMDObLSiyLOezDrKJBCeLjk/s400/IMG_1565.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461621138248618466" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">Random picture of cactus follows:</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixV6fERsjdTUTGPKVkIq7zxmlMrAgHSa4-J1sqry1Z62JTr3qt2ltGAPGUegTsy05YxOzUqm8xZF-R_a27UjhsxhbBkgnYJtK10D9TVj85SdDvXYHwN4G7bCj6nux2RZb1VU5QqqkrsmA/s1600/IMG_1520.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixV6fERsjdTUTGPKVkIq7zxmlMrAgHSa4-J1sqry1Z62JTr3qt2ltGAPGUegTsy05YxOzUqm8xZF-R_a27UjhsxhbBkgnYJtK10D9TVj85SdDvXYHwN4G7bCj6nux2RZb1VU5QqqkrsmA/s400/IMG_1520.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461621128001909922" /></a>Hope your Sunday was relaxing and rejuvenating for the week to come!anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-77760281978562661802010-04-17T15:25:00.000-07:002010-04-17T16:34:51.186-07:00Handing out dolls<div>We received 2 bags full of handmade dolls to hand out to kids, so yesterday I went back to Lori's and let each kid living there pick one out. Then I took a walk with Dalissa- a 6 year old living back at Lori's house and we handed them out to kids we came across on our walk. At one point we didn't even have to walk because so many kids were finding us! Each child got to pick their new doll- all of them had a different idea of which one was most beautiful. A couple kids were timid, and wouldn't come to me to get their doll so Dalissa picked one out for them and I sat and watched as she got to give the child their new toy. I noticed that she would always pick out a doll that matched whatever color that child was wearing if they didn't want to come to me. So cute :)</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB05s8CxPpWeRVBmv0Y3mJ8ErEyqlJPC0ZKnFaqWp3zP0y6SN6_fXfbxPvM0b3RaIXBA2H48yAZSdy70dnMg4fvhIxCAR6WHeX07fml66m6gGdh0WhI8ZtctffpxkCgTkOROpAcFrSQSw/s1600/IMG_1736.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB05s8CxPpWeRVBmv0Y3mJ8ErEyqlJPC0ZKnFaqWp3zP0y6SN6_fXfbxPvM0b3RaIXBA2H48yAZSdy70dnMg4fvhIxCAR6WHeX07fml66m6gGdh0WhI8ZtctffpxkCgTkOROpAcFrSQSw/s400/IMG_1736.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461242179950080194" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkQxJ7yE-N-G1Seu8PBooflDUIA-Lct5f0imIrk-rXYrsSsQ98u8M1SCKm4Ian049kBQ8E0Kg0kYw4UfpIlF1W6yAgQF8T9IwSVS_icuedj0LcefczIRiFsbmceOhBCGShBqJkAyvn9Y/s1600/IMG_1732.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkQxJ7yE-N-G1Seu8PBooflDUIA-Lct5f0imIrk-rXYrsSsQ98u8M1SCKm4Ian049kBQ8E0Kg0kYw4UfpIlF1W6yAgQF8T9IwSVS_icuedj0LcefczIRiFsbmceOhBCGShBqJkAyvn9Y/s400/IMG_1732.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461242172512595282" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLPezBpvL3DlsmAilFNMxmEZDLb6Y4bmol3JP_8maG6eHsoi8duMI-LTpV6igECjTKCvInBkEnxYK_oZzhZEMfEDoYPe9WK39G1D5ZidBdznAAsj60KVgX5PhUe-806VtNF6Z3VdDG5Q/s1600/IMG_1722.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLPezBpvL3DlsmAilFNMxmEZDLb6Y4bmol3JP_8maG6eHsoi8duMI-LTpV6igECjTKCvInBkEnxYK_oZzhZEMfEDoYPe9WK39G1D5ZidBdznAAsj60KVgX5PhUe-806VtNF6Z3VdDG5Q/s400/IMG_1722.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461242166957886530" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhExLgLULC7sa2YaLH3mRfcOxGt-cM0CvNZQQs9CbB-ifZZ2pn2ZPPrW8VtCmmA5lzMwVUm5I9C4DBIUZp_zNxzRGV6eBUWbECbB8GyzL84mlSEJgSNSFbaL2Y4fZr7ECyzrjmhVK6tCcg/s1600/IMG_1709.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhExLgLULC7sa2YaLH3mRfcOxGt-cM0CvNZQQs9CbB-ifZZ2pn2ZPPrW8VtCmmA5lzMwVUm5I9C4DBIUZp_zNxzRGV6eBUWbECbB8GyzL84mlSEJgSNSFbaL2Y4fZr7ECyzrjmhVK6tCcg/s400/IMG_1709.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461242162669137138" /></a>Lots of time and love put into making these dolls. Thanks to everyone who takes and effort to make things for the kids... they are much appreciated and well used!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-7931251344925898732010-04-16T17:58:00.001-07:002010-04-16T19:18:26.230-07:00Catching Up with Witlene and What I Love Today<div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>This is Witlene. I met her in Indiana while she was out on a medical visa getting a tumor removed from her head, and I was there watching 1/2 of Rebekah's kids while she was at make-a-wish Disney World with her older kids. Witlene is hilarious and adorable and I had fun getting to speak Creole with her while in Indiana while I was feeling so homesick for Haiti last year. She's very educated and so is her family; they all live in Port-au-Prince. Their house fell in the earthquake but fortunately none of her immediate family died. She was attending college and her whole school collapsed burying almost all her teachers and classmates. She is waiting for an opportunity to go back to school but can't find anywhere yet- she is 27 years old. She wants 2 kids - twins (boy & girl) and wants to get pregnant after she gets married to her boyfriend when she's 29 so she has her kids when she's 30. Today she came to pick up meds that Rebekah gave to me to bring back for her when I was picking up Denel on my way back to Haiti on this last trip back. She spent half the day here and we got to talk and I showed her around... she had never heard of Cazale before! It was fun catching up with her and getting to know her better. </div><img src="http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs386.snc3/23587_409295163932_719588932_5036782_6484149_n.jpg" /><div> She was showing me pictures that Rebekah had taken and posted on facebook- she told me how much she loved the black and white photos. So we took this pic and I opened my editing program and let her go at it- this is the end result :) </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I love the fact that I know enough Creole now to be able to get to know someone more than how they are and their name and the simple conversations needed to take care of kids. I'm just getting to the point where I can go and sit with the patients at Lori's house, or the staff in the RC and just talk, joke, and be friends rather than being the white girl who visits once and a while. I'm nowhere near completely fluent but I get by :) They teach me words and are always patient explaining stuff to me if I don't understand. They tease me and I tease them. The longer I'm here the more I understand about the people, and the more they open up and treat me as an equal. I love that. </div><div>I love that people no longer move out of the way when they see me coming. </div><div>I love that, while I still am the white girl, most people in the community know me as my name now instead of "blan" (white), even if I've never met them. </div><div>I love that when I go hang out with the patients at Lori's house they no longer all ask me how my day is and rather they ask me how long I can hang out. </div><div>I love that kids that used to be scared of me are finally coming around and wanting to sit with me and take walks. </div><div>I love where I'm at and I love the fact that God put me here.</div><div>I love that I have bad/sick days because the next day everything seems 10 times more beautiful.</div><div>I love my family.</div><div>I love that my sister and I are starting to grow as sisters and become good friends.</div><div>I love that I have NEVER felt alone because I was raised knowing Jesus is always there, no matter what. </div><div>I love knowing I have so much to learn about life and God.</div><div>I love the fact that I have such amazing friends who support my (weird) life-style, and are there for me after months of not hearing from me. </div><div>I love that I feel like my life can go in whatever direction I choose, and I hate that other people don't have that luxury. I love that I have the option of helping others gain that luxury... I hate that I don't daily take advantage of the stuff I have been blessed with by blessing others. I love that God is giving me direction and showing me what I need to do to better help others...</div><div><br /></div><div>What do you love today?</div>anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-11154261840089514242010-04-15T11:58:00.001-07:002010-04-15T14:00:26.771-07:00Admitting Children into the RC<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Just thought I'd go through explaining the process of admitting a child into the Rescue Center. Today Yolande Pierre came through the clinic. Her Dad brought her because she is swollen. He did not understand why she was swollen. Her mom stayed home with her 3 siblings.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBhrrW7Tagf206iGT2AKEPQ5bAzypjQ4nEogbp4aI4zv6Mu7XKpS97hfppofDNgd01ZNZgS7ZrkKGsiNWMjcKRY-9s_p1eApvY9HkENEKi9AGSlHQhjcJ_Xit9zbBOtdfHGlQ1XIU8CQ/s1600/IMG_1696.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBhrrW7Tagf206iGT2AKEPQ5bAzypjQ4nEogbp4aI4zv6Mu7XKpS97hfppofDNgd01ZNZgS7ZrkKGsiNWMjcKRY-9s_p1eApvY9HkENEKi9AGSlHQhjcJ_Xit9zbBOtdfHGlQ1XIU8CQ/s400/IMG_1696.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460463549470733826" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHy7sngsM_EI38W2uejX4YfXXVjxdP-RUdt4UX4dwVjEpVO7D8jScyfS_3lijug4Femv367bDR_y1XbkUX019krEfODmGfR5_aKFjkmTVwpQ5ztWb3_IrLrYmVUD18ed8vW2lE4J4XOk/s1600/IMG_1695.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHy7sngsM_EI38W2uejX4YfXXVjxdP-RUdt4UX4dwVjEpVO7D8jScyfS_3lijug4Femv367bDR_y1XbkUX019krEfODmGfR5_aKFjkmTVwpQ5ztWb3_IrLrYmVUD18ed8vW2lE4J4XOk/s400/IMG_1695.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460463544259956674" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrXtPIb35zgQ3DMqTmifyArlGqTfNn-hC56EylCh8WE2kvLGmaQ5a7FTtIsX1JVMR9dlh9Bt7K4O8jfNUsDEsrINXhZ_mVRq2qtvFDg4Q8UYEQAKqIuUJHkz4iM1CR12jWWhLbqmwsJw/s1600/IMG_1693.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrXtPIb35zgQ3DMqTmifyArlGqTfNn-hC56EylCh8WE2kvLGmaQ5a7FTtIsX1JVMR9dlh9Bt7K4O8jfNUsDEsrINXhZ_mVRq2qtvFDg4Q8UYEQAKqIuUJHkz4iM1CR12jWWhLbqmwsJw/s400/IMG_1693.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460463533693953890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga42G_i3sTKVzPc7xJCj20d3oltFKPmt2z7b4hpilOmBCE7o92juzKWvraXCf1HyjvZHuVLeg4n1czTkwUA8c2IBNhjaqCTjUmqk-q_vZDoRqy1NwNoTBAAZE94tbNTftJlLN4i4NamTw/s1600/IMG_1692.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga42G_i3sTKVzPc7xJCj20d3oltFKPmt2z7b4hpilOmBCE7o92juzKWvraXCf1HyjvZHuVLeg4n1czTkwUA8c2IBNhjaqCTjUmqk-q_vZDoRqy1NwNoTBAAZE94tbNTftJlLN4i4NamTw/s400/IMG_1692.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460463528163377074" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Benita, one of the nurses in the clinic mostly takes the infant/children patients that come through clinic... Usually the parent does not come with the intention of leaving their child at the RC. Many of them do not know their kid is sick because of malnutrition. Benita always educates the patients on why the child is malnourished- and if he/she has kwash, what makes them swell up. There are handouts passed out informing the parent of what kind of foods are best to prevent this (foods with high protein) and finds out their history... if she thinks all the parent needs is time to get back on their feet, or if the child will die if they aren't admitted, Benita talks to the parent about the RC. She tells them it would be a temporary placement for their child to heal and that once they are healthy that they will be sent home. If the parent agrees to leaving their kid with us Benita comes and gets one of us. After seeing the child and questioning the parent we either admit the kid or have Benita talk to the parent about how they can help their child get well. This decision usually depends on how much space there is in the RC, how bad the kid is, and the situation/attitude of the parents. If we think the kid isn't that bad and that education was enough for the parent to be able to care for the kid usually we hold off on taking them right away. They are always told to return if their child doesn't get better or gets even worse. If the child is bad enough to admit we take pictures of the kid, and pics of whoever brought them and then take them to the RC where Riclane, the head of the day shift in the RC admits them. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdEH6Xhg9mJvsdUpvZqx77eRAB1JXqXiAFzLnKU4vuflHh8H0Sf0-Rg4wMTjDKwCED2kQSO9q3QG9rx4utHfweOKDuN2iRv44R0Qno8Es2_GzP4wAxGxU6_jrFF5kX7EQhJtT8eOrQoQ/s400/IMG_1698.JPG" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>There is a form with any/all info we would need about the child (full name/DOB/hometown/cell number of parents/# of siblings etc) and the parents are told to come visit their kid often. Once that is done the child is bathed and officially "in." :) Most of the kids have a hard time adjusting at first (duh) but within a couple days to a week are smiling and happy. </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div>anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-15809678165794228492010-04-14T17:10:00.000-07:002010-04-14T17:11:36.096-07:00THANK YOU!!!<a href="http://haitirescuecenter.wordpress.com/2010/04/14/thank-you-3/">http://haitirescuecenter.wordpress.com/2010/04/14/thank-you-3/</a><div>I know for a fact a lot of my families and friends donated to this- can't tell you how much I appreciate you all supporting Haiti right now. I love you all. </div>anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-17451880664482025592010-04-14T14:29:00.000-07:002010-04-14T15:20:46.970-07:00Kervenson update<div style="text-align: center;">When Kervenson came in I wrote this post: <a href="http://hisfaithfuldoaf.blogspot.com/search?q=kervenson">http://hisfaithfuldoaf.blogspot.com/search?q=kervenson</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbkED9baNBVMpdaY8Xn4Fb75BkMF4Cr2ts5-H1cApdeUzetzNOi5EV0bxU9oP-gKk7meiNAPMCUkIRo8fF9aBM0Q8MNe-yB_QbgBzG5tjplOoJYYVAPjLs6QXqI1HjRZaEhrFW0rkJew/s400/IMG_0214.JPG" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Today, I took these pics:</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH25wj4gdLuo1qzqfd_K4Vo4DLpv5ddeXr3xQciTxAnr05HaQFwace92UmjEX3odaPEEsOkDHh0AyLmbzJoF_90Roo7KRel7CZIErut6nnuiBYxhj3wNe9YOH6RYMb8V0eUOYFik-Qxhs/s1600/Kervenson+closeup.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH25wj4gdLuo1qzqfd_K4Vo4DLpv5ddeXr3xQciTxAnr05HaQFwace92UmjEX3odaPEEsOkDHh0AyLmbzJoF_90Roo7KRel7CZIErut6nnuiBYxhj3wNe9YOH6RYMb8V0eUOYFik-Qxhs/s400/Kervenson+closeup.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460111703600311826" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU9wnLxhJlApRl0Wog9F-b0SxiH3hlJOT-N9tv9KxA2CrBUAsuHfexyp5zn9cA04lcF3kkGNVRsZMOVLM4Q9KNV-zO4mAchXGlwyjvOcPgzIQs1rwnH7n6OHrs9EK-6idsIGnEwJ36I4w/s1600/IMG_1648.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU9wnLxhJlApRl0Wog9F-b0SxiH3hlJOT-N9tv9KxA2CrBUAsuHfexyp5zn9cA04lcF3kkGNVRsZMOVLM4Q9KNV-zO4mAchXGlwyjvOcPgzIQs1rwnH7n6OHrs9EK-6idsIGnEwJ36I4w/s400/IMG_1648.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460111700028978162" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLs1NELWK4lR_29KtdVd-lqAoKq-DlqZGClr3VFR2UgLuPo5e6-vxIup2puL5l5R7OEV12M4oXKp20IeLB0GucxeOjJ6ssPtU8bXBVbL0bjxABp9HdY8Jw3GO1sjYahX3GX4vX0JFXIY/s1600/IMG_1644.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLs1NELWK4lR_29KtdVd-lqAoKq-DlqZGClr3VFR2UgLuPo5e6-vxIup2puL5l5R7OEV12M4oXKp20IeLB0GucxeOjJ6ssPtU8bXBVbL0bjxABp9HdY8Jw3GO1sjYahX3GX4vX0JFXIY/s400/IMG_1644.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460111696740414578" /></a>Bit of a different kid, huh? Kervenson is the sweetest little guy ever and was the worst kwash case I have personally seen. It's been encouraging seeing him healing- what a fast transformation. It's truly amazing what the human body can tolerate and come back from in such a short amount of time.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiht1jnwhG52KMtYi__N5xrEPrgu9L7an9NOIa9AmhOhI6plev-FSL4aHjMMXjXx15K7o_yAbPo4tvODQ_uAWQ_KvQEnYhHIH8wAP5AtxRbUO29Qv8dqdBUZfXKtV3wcq1GWdIiODMeNTI/s1600/IMG_1643.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiht1jnwhG52KMtYi__N5xrEPrgu9L7an9NOIa9AmhOhI6plev-FSL4aHjMMXjXx15K7o_yAbPo4tvODQ_uAWQ_KvQEnYhHIH8wAP5AtxRbUO29Qv8dqdBUZfXKtV3wcq1GWdIiODMeNTI/s400/IMG_1643.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460111688019807666" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>Matthew 14:14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.</i></span></span></div>anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-9910298716909080142010-04-13T16:42:00.000-07:002010-04-13T17:33:57.383-07:00Oh hello good looking...<div>Remember him?</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDj4LOJrAs9XYcqp_TTmY6Yg4A3rDHRa4B1EH-_EBLjBDpr6BvWXVbsKoVlRFkmipJQJOqLnctVhbuDOVGBdLIDjB2UwlFVgeREAlBsURDABxzhKvO9CzHPyUncqgj0_j6AXe6sji2isE/s1600/IMG_3917.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDj4LOJrAs9XYcqp_TTmY6Yg4A3rDHRa4B1EH-_EBLjBDpr6BvWXVbsKoVlRFkmipJQJOqLnctVhbuDOVGBdLIDjB2UwlFVgeREAlBsURDABxzhKvO9CzHPyUncqgj0_j6AXe6sji2isE/s400/IMG_3917.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459780287863996450" /></a><div>Well he's doing just fine. Not gaining weight as fast as I'd like (because I'm somewhat impatient) but he's pretty darn cute :) He has only gained 2 pounds since he came (almost 3 months ago) but he looks so much better (if that counts for anything). He can't crawl or walk but we are working on muscle tone- he will stand while holding onto something and sit up by himself. He is my life right now- he's been staying up with me and he literally turns circles in his crib at night- it's amazing he doesn't get dizzy. Love this kid...</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2hfz3vJ6qaHDBdqZU9Zz6D5-kcXlJCL5SJSut-tAwjJtczMdTccawoUf1Fr39jIL8YshlTQ2cCuhwdqd3DhYBBI2GlInAuUzfn5OM7v8NHVMA8RHfKtk8y1N9sBx8H5XGejA4omXBpk/s1600/IMG_1609.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2hfz3vJ6qaHDBdqZU9Zz6D5-kcXlJCL5SJSut-tAwjJtczMdTccawoUf1Fr39jIL8YshlTQ2cCuhwdqd3DhYBBI2GlInAuUzfn5OM7v8NHVMA8RHfKtk8y1N9sBx8H5XGejA4omXBpk/s400/IMG_1609.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459775677060330322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAp6978-oSii_KSfxnzxzyJI0NSB16gpoBqXSXNRf0MSrVPHPvhq_Vh1n-ffAlhMKUk2KJrlGaawi-WTYgfpjtOlJDp9ziixHrQDpCFszBvQwSlR1OW33INh4to2615dpBL2C6NI0NKnU/s1600/IMG_1605.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAp6978-oSii_KSfxnzxzyJI0NSB16gpoBqXSXNRf0MSrVPHPvhq_Vh1n-ffAlhMKUk2KJrlGaawi-WTYgfpjtOlJDp9ziixHrQDpCFszBvQwSlR1OW33INh4to2615dpBL2C6NI0NKnU/s400/IMG_1605.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459775668292074034" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUuspaWKgINRsVDzILGr67awvFUz7mUSpOZMCqMiu3WfA557pO0dygUcIrVh5CXzwraUMInIJmpvUEGg_WZ_MJep-rNbzWFPGnGIDSpkVMQ7OeRvYg9KITSNGiBzryigU0FosRdB0RiI/s1600/IMG_1593.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUuspaWKgINRsVDzILGr67awvFUz7mUSpOZMCqMiu3WfA557pO0dygUcIrVh5CXzwraUMInIJmpvUEGg_WZ_MJep-rNbzWFPGnGIDSpkVMQ7OeRvYg9KITSNGiBzryigU0FosRdB0RiI/s400/IMG_1593.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459775659897638770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2G7PomcBhaXLSD5f_iZK-IdBltwFs6IbNTFirA83lENNAHWqnT0x3jWBJbGWCnzRqSDUIT8P-n7D0FQY2swEQfaQZhoVg_-gUvul3k84h704cJBgQaYF4cvLOPkk03xNKKtpdphrHpU/s1600/IMG_1586.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2G7PomcBhaXLSD5f_iZK-IdBltwFs6IbNTFirA83lENNAHWqnT0x3jWBJbGWCnzRqSDUIT8P-n7D0FQY2swEQfaQZhoVg_-gUvul3k84h704cJBgQaYF4cvLOPkk03xNKKtpdphrHpU/s400/IMG_1586.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459775652271805778" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXCbc1vGoKFKOvjiZ2CzBFUSVDW5S4HHlZ-GIFlAdQZ4LFEyYV7u5G86IiJDFPGRz-MYvTCCjfigNY7SS5qIDAyaVMaH8XEfbvdbSTFXqHU-2kOrBHjxrpVmNciiVgnTi5VqlzHiDJeM/s1600/IMG_0415.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXCbc1vGoKFKOvjiZ2CzBFUSVDW5S4HHlZ-GIFlAdQZ4LFEyYV7u5G86IiJDFPGRz-MYvTCCjfigNY7SS5qIDAyaVMaH8XEfbvdbSTFXqHU-2kOrBHjxrpVmNciiVgnTi5VqlzHiDJeM/s400/IMG_0415.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459775638903488034" /></a>...and LICIA AND THE BOYS COME BACK IN ONE WEEK!!! I'm a little excited. A lot excited. Very excited. Super excited. It feels like forever since I've seen Trey, Henley and Carmelo. It will be nice to get back into the swing of things!anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-71262368138697613282010-04-12T13:06:00.000-07:002010-04-12T13:22:06.265-07:00Step by step<div>The needs in Haiti are overwhelming and it's hard to focus on where you can help. I say we all take it step by step. Nothing we do will make things get better fast, but if everyone decides to take small actions to give then step by step we will make a difference. Let's start with this...</div><div><br /></div>There are two girls (Fed & Brit) who went out on medical visa in 2008 and their families are in need of new houses due to the earthquake... you can read their stories here: <a href="http://haitirescuecenter.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/opportunity-to-assist-with-housing-for-2-families/">http://haitirescuecenter.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/opportunity-to-assist-with-housing-for-2-families/</a><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://haitirescuecenter.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/opportunity-to-assist-with-housing-for-2-families/"></a>My challenge to everyone reading is to choose one meal where you would have gone out for dinner and spent five times what the food is worth, and instead invite a friend/couple/family member over and make a meal for them instead. Donate the money you saved to Fed and Brit's new homes- it's a win-win, you get to bless these girls and their families, and you get to bless someone you appreciate by cooking them a meal and enjoying spending time with them! :)</div><div><br /></div><div><div>If you are interested in donating toward the costs of these houses being built here is a link to the woman who hosted these girls while they were out on visas. She has been trying to raise the money to make this happen and is just over half way to her goal of $6,000</div><div><a href="http://twohaitianprincesses.blogspot.com/">http://twohaitianprincesses.blogspot.com/</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for chipping away at the overwhelming needs with me one step at a time. </div><div><br /></div></div>anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-86778786716715400182010-04-12T08:26:00.000-07:002010-04-12T09:45:28.186-07:00Some of our surroundings<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Right in front of the RC is where lots of action goes on. There are stands selling all the necessities and people selling fried street food (yum!) or cold drinks. This is also the location where you can catch a tap-tap, either a motorcycle or a truck if you need to get anywhere. There is the trash burning station and an area where you can go watch movies on Friday nights. There are always people outside the gate just hanging out and always some sort of action going on.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3CoG7S-5GjlV24SLqEyLXnTVjVnn_3OnIHeei8D54SofVyTpVkBRw29tRvjhiXw8U2GE6sg7dy5EE7opq_bSGq7yPcqtx9Gn9m7cvqBk5qZ5ZT8PNlEMM8uhT3Lkrwrke6g6E8l9Iz8/s1600/IMG_1340.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3CoG7S-5GjlV24SLqEyLXnTVjVnn_3OnIHeei8D54SofVyTpVkBRw29tRvjhiXw8U2GE6sg7dy5EE7opq_bSGq7yPcqtx9Gn9m7cvqBk5qZ5ZT8PNlEMM8uhT3Lkrwrke6g6E8l9Iz8/s400/IMG_1340.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459283459303294690" /></a>Also in front of the gate is the river... this is where all the water is pumped from for the clinic and RC. It's such a blessing to have unlimited water! These pics are taken from in front of the new RC, the old location is just down the street.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3ft61f2qeAkFbhM64gSGVUA544I0rGUBSecjbNiXB-oevVPs1lzcP1BuaDAaNTsWdvOxhUaWB_coIXkq6XfNfjdxNiO6dO6EYxMUwsJQGrcSiVlJx_pXMRY6qAlaaWHKQ4X0Exo41Ag/s1600/IMG_1339.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3ft61f2qeAkFbhM64gSGVUA544I0rGUBSecjbNiXB-oevVPs1lzcP1BuaDAaNTsWdvOxhUaWB_coIXkq6XfNfjdxNiO6dO6EYxMUwsJQGrcSiVlJx_pXMRY6qAlaaWHKQ4X0Exo41Ag/s400/IMG_1339.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459283446939867538" /></a>During the flood in 2008, the bridge from the river was completely demolished. There has been progress made on building up the sides of the river with huge metal cages filled with rocks. This is the current "bridge" used to cross the river. Many people still just walk through the water to get to the other side. <div><br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Avibpb3UCHH4RA9_hYMZKG2nLOaSFjwp2KBKcNNdJSHs84dRe-z78XXcgr7SdreSFiLfTdFxjXHDaZDzPOa6qimbFNZLJPmYEQp46PiGSJQcd0buhkNn4sY4W0sjAVVp2HSdQXHII1U/s1600/IMG_1338.JPG"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Avibpb3UCHH4RA9_hYMZKG2nLOaSFjwp2KBKcNNdJSHs84dRe-z78XXcgr7SdreSFiLfTdFxjXHDaZDzPOa6qimbFNZLJPmYEQp46PiGSJQcd0buhkNn4sY4W0sjAVVp2HSdQXHII1U/s400/IMG_1338.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459283434217910498" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">The cages are good for more than just holding up the river... they provide a nice flat surface to dry the clothes after washing them in the river</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_7V_Ns33zP46f4zLG43ORNw2oyh_qu_-3o4einkNVlLpELeZvfpC-58kFzIzosbu2EVieXV-spPFgT28XzGT8TjSNb2n2OUhlqZUgkvu_PikOQ6Q6GOF4xl25fUEO5OBhxkRai4oLZw/s400/IMG_1347.JPG" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">There is a new bridge being build so people can drive across instead of through. Right now the river is split in half- these guys are riding on the stretch of land in the middle of it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXXdsPcxV65pbzkLKHKTW1vsh66G-A_HfW74PU1o6ZYz2NTwK1A92Vh_n4FlCPF9TTvyz5r7s5faQj6ZVAAit5TKppUZYh6oU3qa66gmR55dSTt-cbLntQlKapw5ibQu3rxnSPplBG5Y/s400/IMG_1344.JPG" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div>anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-21395552167449856712010-04-11T14:43:00.000-07:002010-04-11T15:05:57.290-07:00Every Day<div style="text-align: center;">Every day I wake up and realize...</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bSYtlLZAsm0ACxxNf975ZNxkqATAFVq26tx-pXUFP0Qy2JG6siKE-BPPFXl7-Nj4Dlybe-3veVYDaWNjJHSJHcAfbt8H-HPq56fH91Q13EC5Jw0bG5srlqEeawvv5kl3yTQxcoSQcEQ/s1600/stanley.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bSYtlLZAsm0ACxxNf975ZNxkqATAFVq26tx-pXUFP0Qy2JG6siKE-BPPFXl7-Nj4Dlybe-3veVYDaWNjJHSJHcAfbt8H-HPq56fH91Q13EC5Jw0bG5srlqEeawvv5kl3yTQxcoSQcEQ/s400/stanley.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459001761539451394" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">what a blessing it is to be called to somewhere that I love so much, </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8KPonsSNziQN79CgJ1CZnW_3nP38v1vRp5opWmXYp3yz_9jhi4nV6X0sYp4TZkivSbsYDmAFGLDWJHtLmTtarolLQLD0318LhAHrOMB0wPTJvtI0p90wJ9bC3XUdxey8gcTmKG8oaSks/s1600/Sodeline.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8KPonsSNziQN79CgJ1CZnW_3nP38v1vRp5opWmXYp3yz_9jhi4nV6X0sYp4TZkivSbsYDmAFGLDWJHtLmTtarolLQLD0318LhAHrOMB0wPTJvtI0p90wJ9bC3XUdxey8gcTmKG8oaSks/s400/Sodeline.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459000333483041554" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">with people who make my life so much better, </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmA5e44uUMNKjFhrgrsoXj1Q8NTb5MylbxnJWgOgfEbrHSc-typkDSKXIt7Ag-KpiE4Iztjty9qXdOAPTUtG3wz6oCLsij42uR1H2mB0t8XPnac8h9U2TGybb0uGugWkRYDnDClxYROk/s1600/Mackenson.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmA5e44uUMNKjFhrgrsoXj1Q8NTb5MylbxnJWgOgfEbrHSc-typkDSKXIt7Ag-KpiE4Iztjty9qXdOAPTUtG3wz6oCLsij42uR1H2mB0t8XPnac8h9U2TGybb0uGugWkRYDnDClxYROk/s400/Mackenson.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459000327417010274" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">and who teach me what true love really looks like, </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF12yHCWEcK-ZyhIc8H45jemrB_EHU0tDI4JXHXFkEL2oW6UWUrqU8AumZj2BaQGe7lSF-s82N2QO36PyDBi4vKjHQjEIXVZW2sKlASwNmNt2-xfbcXqyAsSXhIB8GKWgHPpIGAunmQQU/s1600/jacksson.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF12yHCWEcK-ZyhIc8H45jemrB_EHU0tDI4JXHXFkEL2oW6UWUrqU8AumZj2BaQGe7lSF-s82N2QO36PyDBi4vKjHQjEIXVZW2sKlASwNmNt2-xfbcXqyAsSXhIB8GKWgHPpIGAunmQQU/s400/jacksson.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459000315545997650" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">and what true determination and healing looks like, </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmlszXaHKuENy33Dif6d86nSs1XYRpSrFFtNNNskbK1t9GCkY8NbzWNyla5eNfWCeQlyXCmZgfJp9y_eg2wqdvl08BIP5bWRZ6ZUYwiyvVqyoUJ5x5flzh7QkBiaNNR527UBBfiOk4J58/s1600/dorchelle.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmlszXaHKuENy33Dif6d86nSs1XYRpSrFFtNNNskbK1t9GCkY8NbzWNyla5eNfWCeQlyXCmZgfJp9y_eg2wqdvl08BIP5bWRZ6ZUYwiyvVqyoUJ5x5flzh7QkBiaNNR527UBBfiOk4J58/s400/dorchelle.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459000309196624594" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">and I know that no matter where God takes me in life I will always call Haiti my home and the people here my family. God has given me so much more than I deserve and I will continue to serve him as He leads me....</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithYSAmqZw6Etrhh4EwZhm_vHN89o4SHEwussx93r4aOutBbXbEyRWA4r6bkj86EguZDVbG7a7OfxMTTqejslUsBV2qsM_1rqhuc8GTVgbofbErdJSAZ39arEmF52SsbN5VztJUJDf04g/s400/group+pic+EQ+patients.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">because without Him I would be lost.</div>anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635107054060832260.post-23979905886993104302010-04-10T19:50:00.000-07:002010-04-11T08:44:45.133-07:00Bedtime in the RC<div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Bedtime is a combination of baths after dinner and putting clean clothes on and all clean diapers and setting up beds for all the kids and putting mats on those beds and putting blankets on the mats and getting the crazy hectic kids settled down and asleep. Some are out cold the second they hit their bed, others are being dezoid (naughty) and running around testing limits. Most nights there are a couple that just aren't that tired right away and I have fun getting to lay with them, and not have all the rest bombarding me. Bedtime is one of the cutest times of the RC... little kids snoring, sprawled out and falling asleep sitting up (you know, where they almost fall over until finally someone lays their head down) :)</span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:7;"><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Some of the kids snuggle up together, leaving their bed empty... pretty darn adorable if you ask me.</span></div><div><br /></div></span><p></p></div><div>Wilbert was having a hard time going to bed last night...</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2JrnM0_WeIAVNRbE2BHr03006Womk-ypKyD1YBI9WinCEGtUY3ib3-r_Spt1mZplAlCZBsbqhuAvMqU8XJRCMasSRvqWmj4-svAXpee2XWi2N0X5DfwIPy5noWsdh-27vUa1DK4WBX8/s1600/IMG_1269.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2JrnM0_WeIAVNRbE2BHr03006Womk-ypKyD1YBI9WinCEGtUY3ib3-r_Spt1mZplAlCZBsbqhuAvMqU8XJRCMasSRvqWmj4-svAXpee2XWi2N0X5DfwIPy5noWsdh-27vUa1DK4WBX8/s400/IMG_1269.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458892794785512498" /></a>Deny and Geowel snuggled up and passed out :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKjVacw8CeQmA5YNui160iqHufFGOsmeHlNyH5jObVmSDJ8PJMJsdxl1D_gd6DfbazKBINm3lc_HZxYcNWV95LV8ocIWcGED8GmtyFnwfGH9yl11xNOkWOF-E530IUW4fdfBauAoClvY/s1600/IMG_1258.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKjVacw8CeQmA5YNui160iqHufFGOsmeHlNyH5jObVmSDJ8PJMJsdxl1D_gd6DfbazKBINm3lc_HZxYcNWV95LV8ocIWcGED8GmtyFnwfGH9yl11xNOkWOF-E530IUW4fdfBauAoClvY/s400/IMG_1258.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458892787164827026" /></a>Stanley won the "ornery kid of the night" award last night. He would NOT lay down, problem is he knows he's cute. haha<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqrPJElgJWGlhyHmaVGM1ovm_i2PNgss8cVJ_deWgWf-48ptVmySX51IlDF7BUbuGYmriQcR1B_wWobsgWSVKk36YE7qnxIxUmP4BYVcwhMLB4Wz6aqjI_OwjAXdp3kCqBuaG2XBnNhI/s1600/IMG_1256.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqrPJElgJWGlhyHmaVGM1ovm_i2PNgss8cVJ_deWgWf-48ptVmySX51IlDF7BUbuGYmriQcR1B_wWobsgWSVKk36YE7qnxIxUmP4BYVcwhMLB4Wz6aqjI_OwjAXdp3kCqBuaG2XBnNhI/s400/IMG_1256.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458892784992200434" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Amonise is our littlest baby right now and she just started to smile a couple weeks ago, she is precious! She came in with kwash and is on our MM program, and gaining week by week!</div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93zA2_FQbeGlZBkEp77jzuo7JfMglQxp0VFIjJPuqZVmZADQtPWC4rx0yLLUSPZVgcJofbdfG-dNlz51CEB1Hwbhyrbix7AjwB1zirofzPMcgtg5nAg6W48hsEGM4P-RVZL5rnAvPjwY/s1600/IMG_1235.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93zA2_FQbeGlZBkEp77jzuo7JfMglQxp0VFIjJPuqZVmZADQtPWC4rx0yLLUSPZVgcJofbdfG-dNlz51CEB1Hwbhyrbix7AjwB1zirofzPMcgtg5nAg6W48hsEGM4P-RVZL5rnAvPjwY/s400/IMG_1235.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458889246617650754" /></a>Double-decker cribs:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNnmj3rcbaMS0w4BRy8KFyzJ8wsMYbZ5dvBG_-OdLe6HwbgP8EMOR1LmeUTvvpvb1uDHdgP781cPZ2kal4rX4hi6e2UWwxjvCYVttL2fw1zbw4OO8vEb3GuYOiljdWHVEofAsLqgZ4YJU/s1600/IMG_1231.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNnmj3rcbaMS0w4BRy8KFyzJ8wsMYbZ5dvBG_-OdLe6HwbgP8EMOR1LmeUTvvpvb1uDHdgP781cPZ2kal4rX4hi6e2UWwxjvCYVttL2fw1zbw4OO8vEb3GuYOiljdWHVEofAsLqgZ4YJU/s400/IMG_1231.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458889241380208690" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQ7nO3FCCNwxrIMIIoKk6uBhWjkZBAKOuAgjAS_C3CPjPbS94geb51m-UW0CerFkz4MHCpVnbf9yLuV41m2CXvnW4HdDtx4XhYZKxiJDe-pxAkrmJSNiLCgYdtPAc4pya03CdcVBnwyM/s1600/IMG_1230.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQ7nO3FCCNwxrIMIIoKk6uBhWjkZBAKOuAgjAS_C3CPjPbS94geb51m-UW0CerFkz4MHCpVnbf9yLuV41m2CXvnW4HdDtx4XhYZKxiJDe-pxAkrmJSNiLCgYdtPAc4pya03CdcVBnwyM/s400/IMG_1230.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458889232484003730" /></a>Milienne and Berline were smiling big and literally 2 minutes after I took this they were out cold.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqZcmCWAfIn5XE9ZjhGPacokQc2KThhyqqYLozfBV5AeTVpmeXxrKv8n0BfWQ_QjJTtqUOGOk-ofILLT3ywpseAdAkYiy_vj6iZFJssKHOhq8a1qrlULnYzKid45oPy5Ji4tYNyJ7DYA/s1600/IMG_1250.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqZcmCWAfIn5XE9ZjhGPacokQc2KThhyqqYLozfBV5AeTVpmeXxrKv8n0BfWQ_QjJTtqUOGOk-ofILLT3ywpseAdAkYiy_vj6iZFJssKHOhq8a1qrlULnYzKid45oPy5Ji4tYNyJ7DYA/s400/IMG_1250.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458889259352520306" /></a>:)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_fsDaXxyLo_L71xoa9rjNllHIVGhyphenhyphenI15EC32QF9yFV7UKL8J2CtuxHEkD3iEL3X3THlHdGnGbE6M0zREHp64EeGq-U3zqOA7nFzT8q-ZHJHZx8ccxnQdcmOAs-747xzhVXU-1dvIbjLs/s1600/IMG_1238.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_fsDaXxyLo_L71xoa9rjNllHIVGhyphenhyphenI15EC32QF9yFV7UKL8J2CtuxHEkD3iEL3X3THlHdGnGbE6M0zREHp64EeGq-U3zqOA7nFzT8q-ZHJHZx8ccxnQdcmOAs-747xzhVXU-1dvIbjLs/s400/IMG_1238.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458889248829438162" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>anna khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071308553207831363noreply@blogger.com2