HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!!!

So tonight as I was doing my Beth Moore Bible Study...she challenged us to reflect on the supreme authority of Christ over all created things after reading Col 1:15-17

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

As I was journaling God reminded me a blogpost I had written back in April 2009. I went to my blog and loooked it up. I just finished reading it and once again was reminded of HOW GREAT my God is. I wanted to share because I think it will change your perspective of God today. I also encourage you to take time to look up the youtube videos and listen to the teachings...They are sooooooooooo good.

The past few days in my quiet time I have been learning and studying about the grandeur of my God. On youtube there are 2 different 5 segment sermons based off of 2 of Chris Tomlin’s songs How great is our God and Indescribable. The talks are done by Lou Giglio and I encourage anyone to go and listen to these. They will blow you away and make you step back and think and put your life in perspective.

The past few days, I have been blown away by God’s greatness. I quickly have learned how really, really, really big so much bigger than I ever thought or realized is the God I worship. I worship a massive God of glory and grace. A God who is able to hold me together no matter what circumstances may come my way. My God holds the universe in His hands. I used to say this statement all the time but now I have a better understanding of what that means. I have never been much into astrology but there is so much to learn about God in it.

We live in the planet earth and earth is a very small part of the Milky Way Galaxy one of hundreds of millions of galaxies in the universe. The Milky Way is 100,00 light years away and our solar system is the size of a quarter and the Milky Way the size of the continent of North America. The Milky Way Galaxy has billions of stars in it. If we were to count 1 star per second it would take 2,500 years to count just the stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. WOW!!!

Neil Armstrong on his way back to earth after walking on the moon stated “ I remember on the way home on Apollo II it suddenly struck me that the tiny pee figure pretty and blue was the earth. I put my thumb up and shut one eye and my thumb blotted out earth. But I did not feel like a giant, I felt very, very small.” One of the psalmist wrote “I look at your heaven’s and the stars that you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him or the son of man that you care for him.” That is how I feel…who am I a little spec. We are so small but it is significant, insignificance because as small as we are, we are prized by majesty who sent for us and knows us and loves us even though we are teeny, tiny little people, living on a spec floating through the vas cosmos that he created. Just as God knows every star in heaven and has named them and placed them just where he wants them, so it is with us. He knows each of us by name, has placed us just where he wants us and He holds us together. WOW!! It is amazing to think about how big he is that we know his name.

I could go through star after star that I have learned about the past few days and how amazing and marvelous God is and how these stars cry out the glory of God. But, for time and space sake I will talk about 1. The Darling of Astronomy- The Whirlpool Galaxy. It is 31 million light years away and is made up of hundreds of billions of stars. With the Huble telescope they were able to look into the black hole in the center of the whirlpool Galaxy and you know what they found…..the shape of a cross. WOW!!! All creation declares the glory of God. The grace of God is everywhere.

What is just as amazing as looking at the universe and how big and grand it is, is looking at the human body God’s fingerprints are all over it. St. Augustine said, “men go abroad to wonder at the height of mountains. The huge waves of the sea, the long course of rivers, the vast compass of the ocean, the circular motion of the stars, but they pass by themselves and don’t even notice.” How true that statement is. We don’t even realize the miracle of who we are. We are fearfully and wonderfully made by the God of the heavens. There is also so much I learned about the human body and our DNA that blew me away, but the thing that blew me away the most was the protein Laminin. Laminin is a little protein molecule that is a cell adhesion molecule. This protein is like our backbone it is holding your membranes together and it is the glue of the human body. What is so amazing about Laminen is that it is shaped like a cross. WOW! The stuff that is holding my body together is in the shape of the cross of my Lord Jesus Christ. Col 1- talks about how all things were created by and for Him. Jesus is before all things and in him all things are HELD TOGETHER! Do you know that there are millions and millions of micro crosses holding you together right now and 1 giant glorious cross of Jesus Christ that’s holding everyone of us who have trusted in Him! Now we see the little details God put in our body and in the universe to make stand back and stand in AWE of Him. There is so much we still don’t see or know and will never know. But one thing is for sure. We serve a grand, mighty, powerful, gracious, faithful, loving God.

Sin makes us think God is smaller than what he is. The fall tricked us to think we are so important, but maybe we aren’t as important as we thought we were. Maybe our lives are not as grand as we made them out to be. Don’t get me wrong, we are loved unconditionally by God. He breathed life into us and made us in His image and likeness. He even sent His one and only son to die on the cross for our sins. Oh How He Loves us! But, we are but a grain of sand in this huge universe that God holds in his hands. How amazing His love for us. The cross is even more amazing after looking at the rest of the universe. How amazing that long before I decided what I was going to do for and with God. God decided what he was going to do with me and that was to not give me what my sins deserve but to give His son what my sins deserved. Instead of giving me what I deserve instead he offered me a personal relationship with Him to live forever in a bi story all about Him. How amazing that God casts our sins as far as the east is from the west.

Listen to God speaking through his creation. God says I am the universe maker and I am a heart former but I am also big enough to be intimately aquainted with all the circumstances of your life and I promise you no matter what comes in this lifetime, no matter how difficult the road or how dark the night I will hold on to you and I will literally hold you together and carry you through any circumstances that come your way, any moment on this planet.

I challenge all of you and myself to stand in Awe of God and realize just how big he is and how small we are, but at the same time how unconditionally God loves us and how special and important we are to Him, He has called us his sons and daughter that is how intimately He loves us and cares for us. He cares for us as a Father cares for his children.

Protein Laminen
Darling of Astronomy
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Overflow by Brian & Rachel Lusky

"Lord Bless me so that I may be a blessing, heal me so that I might bring healer, cover me so that I may be a covering to the broken and weak to the weary and meak..." This is the song my blog"Overflow" was named after :-) IT truly is the prayer of my heart.

Things I am Thankful for 4 and 5

#4- FOOD and CLEAN WATER TO DRINK- It is so easy to forget what a gift access to food and clean water is when we live in the United States BUT not so much when you have lived for extended periods of time in a third world country. I have had countless children come up to me rubbing their tummies asking for food…many it had been over a day or 2 since their last meal. I have seen the bloated bellies and yellowish/orange hair… I held severely malnourished children as my heart broke for them. I have had the gutt wrenching job of turning families and children away when there was no food left to hand out…fully knowing how hungry they were and had no where else to get food. I have lost 5 dear friends to cholera in the past year (cholera is caused by unclean water). I have watched people drink brown water, bathe in dirty rivers. I am so incredible thankful for the fact that I can walk to the faucet and get a glass of water to drink…anytime. That I can take a shower and get clean. Thank you God for this privilege and blessing. Lord I pray for all those who don’t have this privilege that you will protect them from illness and disease and provide food for their hungry stomachs.

#5- SHELTER: I am so grateful tonight to have a warm apartment to come home to. There are many days I look around my apartment and feel guilty for the fact that the size of my apartment is the size of 9 houses in Haiti. Each of those 9 houses would average hold 10 people. My apartment has windows, doors, running water, electricity, a toilet, refrigerator, stove and when it rains the water stays out…The people in Haiti have a dirt floors, possibly some chairs, maybe a bed or 2, a few clothes and when it rains they get soaked. The truth be that the ones who have a house (shack) are the lucky few…many people in Haiti don’t have a roof over their head. Many in Pourt-A-Prince are still living in tents since the earthquake. I don’t even have to reflect all the way to Haiti…I look around Vegas and see how many homeless people there are here in America…so many people who are freezing tonight because they have no where to go and no roof over their head. Thank you God for providing me with shelter. Lord please protect all those who are cold tonight and have no where to go. Be with all those who do not have shelter and LORD until they find physical shelter may they find shelter in you.

Things I am Thankful for 1,2, & 3

A few of my missionary friends are taking November as a time to reflect on the things they are thankful for. Each day in November they are picking 1 thing they are thankful for and blogging. I have decided to attempt to do the same…I am 7 days behind and therefore will be catching up over the next few days…

1.) SALVATION- Without it I am NOTHING…My life would have no meaning, no drive, No Joy, No peace…No Hope. The simple fact that the God of the universe would send his one and only son to die for me…continues to blow me away. The fact that through Jesus I am forgiven…given a clean slate…seen as a child of God and given a purpose to fulfill on earth with the promise of the reward of eternity at the end...MINDBOGGLING! Thank you LORD for the Free Gift of SALVATION that cost you so much!

2.) My PARENTS- God has blessed me with the most amazing parents who have poured so much into me. They poured their love, their time, their energy, their words, their hugs/kisses, their finances. They sacrificed so much so I could have a Christian education through 8th grade which truly laid a foundation for my walk with the Lord. They sacrificed so I could go to Christian summer camp every year where I accepted Christ for the first time…They sacrificed so I could go to youth conventions/Ralley’s…even when they were tired they took me to youth group…my dad woke up early to drive me to Tuesday morning breakfast/Bible study in high school. They were with me on my first mission trip that sparked my passion for missions. They have been the ones who have supported me through all the big and little decisions in life…even when it hurt them to let me go…allow me to move…Trust me into God’s hands. My parents sacrificed so much to help me grow in the Lord and I am eternally grateful for their outpouring of love and their faithfulness to serving God. I love you both so much!

3.) FRIENDS- God has truly blessed me some of the most AMAZING friends throughout my life. Not just friends to hang out with but TRUE GENUINE LIFELONG friends…friends that have poured into me, helped me through difficult times, friends I have been able to serve the LORD alongside, study God’s word with, and Just have a fun with. Accountability Partners, Spiritual Mentors, Second Parents, House Mates, Bible Study Partners…the list goes on and on. Friends that even though we are separated by thousands of miles and may only talk or see each other a couple times a year now…I know that they are praying for me and I am praying for them. I am so eternally grateful for the friendships God has blessed me with.

God Of Justice By Tim Hughes

The Race of Life

The last week God has really laid upon my heart the imagery of My Life as a Race. I was born at the start line and ever since I took my first breath I have been running a Marathon with the end point being Heaven/Eternity with my Savior and Maker. There have been different legs to this race so far (Infant/Toddler years, elementary/middle/high school, college/grad school, Carson City, Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada), and God willing many more to come. Each leg of my race has had it challenges; each brought new people into my life some as encouragers, some for me to encourage, some to sharpen me and others so I could sharpen them. Most importantly each has enabled me to grow closer to my savior, and grow in my love and desire for a deep intimate relationship with my maker, savior, and best friend!



I had fun the last week and am continuing to brainstorm and put on paper a visual of my life so far (past 24 years). Including: key events, people, trials, lessons, scripture, stages in spiritual growth/life, and challenges I faced. If you have never thought much about it, I challenge you to take some time to reflect…For me it opened my eyes and reminded me of just how BIG my God is and how intimately involved he has been in my life since before I was born planning out the events that have unfolded and will continue to unfold in my life. When I live a life surrendered to the LORD my life will always be an adventure…there will always be challenges…there will always be moments I will want to give up…always be attacks from satan until I reach the finish line BUT When I am living in the spirit with my eyes fixed on Christ I will always have enough strength to keep going…enough peace…enough joy…enough hope…enough faith…



Throughout the Bible our life is described as a race....



In a race all the runners take part in it, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize. Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline; he does so in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever. 1 Cor 9:24-25 (TEB)



“…. since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” Hebrews 12:1-3



Not that I have become perfect yet; I have not yet won, but I am still running, trying to capture the prize for which Christ Jesus captured me. I can assure you my brothers, I am far from thinking that I have already won. All I can say is that I forget the past and I strain ahead for what is still to come; I am racing for the finish, for the prize to which God calls us upward to receive in Christ Jesus. Phil 3:12-14 (Jer)



...Keep yourself in training for a godly life. Physical exercise has some value in it, but spiritual exercise is valuable in every way, because it promises life both for now and for the future. This is a true saying, to be completely accepted and believed. That is why we struggle and work hard... 1 Tim 4:7-10 (TEB)



Follow the Lord's rules for doing his work, just as an athlete either follows the rules--or is disqualified and wins no prize.

2 Tim 2:5 (LB)



As for me, the hour has come for me to be sacrificed; the time is here for me to leave this life. I have done my best in the race, I have run the full distance, I have kept the faith. And now the prize of victory is waiting for me, the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the Day--and not only to me, but to all those who wait with love for him to appear. 2 Tim 4:6-8 (TEB)



...I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. Acts 20:24 (NIV)



I wrote this a year ago & stumbled upon it tonight and it was perfect….I feel in the same spot today…a little over a year later…As God has called me into a new city, new job, out of my comfort zone…

“Since I moved to Nevada I have been missing Haiti more than ever. Probably because so much is going on, so many changes are happening, God is moving in so many BIG ways & my heart aches & longs to be there. Maybe because I took this job so that I can serve in Haiti in the summers & that is a huge motivator as everything in my life is changing. This move has challenged me to go to a new level of TRUST in my BIG GOD. I don’t know anyone out here, I am in a new town, new job, first job out of college, so much is expected & frankly at times I feel so inadequate. I can’t help but ask Why me God? I have taken a lot of time to think back on my past & I stand in Awe at the ways God has moved to form me into the person I am today. I could go on & on and list pages of situations that have happened (good & bad) that occurred to prepare me to be where I am today & be ready to keep fighting & traveling along this journey God is taking me on. God has blessed me time & time again in my past & He is blessing me so abundantly here in Nevada. During a hike last weekend as I sat on a Big rock overlooking Lake Tahoe from on top of a mountain I had just climbed, I finally took the time to stop & tune into God. God laid upon my heart this poem. It was such a sweet reminder of how God has perfect plans for each of us, He cares deeply about each of us, He loves us each so deeply, and He is so excited to take us on a journey of a lifetime that ends in His sweet precious arms. I challenge you to look back over your past, to see God’s handiwork in your life. His hand is there…even when we push Him away…He never leaves us, never stops pursuing us, never stops loving us. We are his precious children.



What God Sees

In June 1987 God breathed life into a little girl.

In that moment when the world saw a cute, fragile, precious baby…

God saw into the future and saw the women of God she would become.

In elementary school when she was the shyest person in her class and got homesick when she was away from home…

God saw into the future and saw her being bold & courageous for Him while crossing seas to share the gospel and His love.

When she was in middle school and confused about who she was & not the best in school

God saw into the future when she would be full of God-confidence & graduate grad school with a degree she could use to serve the Lord with.

When she was 12 and went on her first mission trip

God saw into the future and saw the missionary she would become.

As she was growing up & she found her talent to be loving on children & she was always being told when you grow up you should work with children

God saw into the future & saw her working with all kinds of children in the united states & overseas.

When that little girl would get easily upset & her heart would break

God smiled and looked into the future & saw a women who had a compassionate heart that broke at the site of injustice & that drove her to fight for the poor, needy, & forgotten.

And now as her heart aches & longs to be in Haiti, serving as a missionary, using her skills/degree to work with disabled children sharing God’s love to the poor, needy, & forgotten.

She is trusting in God’s perfect timing & believes there is more preparation to take place before she is ready to go.

I wonder what God sees as He looks into her future?



I don’t know what my future holds…but I know the one who does & I can face tomorrow because I know He lives & He is Mighty & He is faithful. I just got done reading the book of Genesis & reading about the journey of God’s people. They had to wait on His timing…time & time again BUT He always fulfilled His promises & ALWAYS journeyed with them. He blessed them even when other plotted harm against them. I was reminded that God works everything for His glory & His good. EVERYTHING. What others plan as harm against us God turns for His good. BUT God as I learned from Genesis PATIENCE is key, TRUST is essential, and FAITH is required. I am learning these 3 things. I am excited to see how God is going to use me now & how He is going to continue to mold me & shape me into the vessel He needs me to be, to go on the next leg of my journey. May I be a willing vessel, open to learn, open to be molded, and open to GO WHEREVER He calls me. Thank you for all your prayers & support. Please continue to keep me in your prayers as I am being stretched in ways I never dreamed but growing at the same time.



I challenge you to take an hour to sit at your maker (coach’s) feet and allow him to tell you His story of the life He has given you…Let Him reveal truths to you and encourage you in this marathon you are running. I am so thankful that God has brought each and everyone of you into my marathon and whether we got to run alongside each other for a few weeks, months, years, or are still running beside each other…I am so grateful for that time because each of you have helped me make it to the leg of the race I am on today…whether you or I knew it at the time J That is just how BIG our God is!

.

Haiti UPDATE :-)

Hello everyone,

Sorry it has been so long since I have written an update about everything going in Haiti (which is A LOT). Things have been rather crazy the last month: coming home from Haiti, visiting family & friends, packing & moving down to Las Vegas where I took a new job, starting my new job and unpacking. Where to even start…
1st Here is the link to the Youtube video I made from my trip this summer. It is an 11 minute video showing pictures, videos, and explaining in words an overview of the therapy I did with the kids.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBiyEeE8-5A

Since I left Haiti a little over a month ago a lot of changes have happened in the Miriam Center. Walls have come down, new walls have gone out, windows & doors have been busted out in the new school room & the play room. A nurses station is in the process of being built, desks have been built for the school…to just name a few.
I have had a really hard time adjusting to life not in Haiti. I miss my kids soooo much to the point my heart aches to be back in Haiti with them. I wish I could just live in Haiti full-time right now…drop everything & fly to Haiti BUT I know that is not what God is asking me to do right now. The past month has been harder than normal due the fact so many of our children have been sick & 2 of our outreach kids have passed away. The other night when I got news that 6 of the Miriam Home children had an allergic reaction to their scaves medicine I lost it. I begged God not to take them, I prayed for their healing…as I was praying God revealed to me that I hold these children too tight, that God has called me to hold them, love them, teach them, pray over/with them, & rejoice in what he is doing BUT most of all He has called me to surrender their lives into His hands, to trust Him, & to hold loosely to them and to realize that a time will come when He will ask me to let go. I then heard the song I Surrender All. God is currently teaching me a really hard lesson to surrender each of the Miriam Home & For Jonathan Sake Children into His hand & his perfect timing.

A Quote that I have treasured the last few weeks…
"Sometimes just surviving certain tasks without falling apart is our best and in those times God isn't ashamed of our performance. He's proud of us for fighting overwhelming human emotions to do His will. God isn't interested in our stellar performance but in our hearts. He loves our willingness and obedience despite our insecurities." - Beth Moore

A friend of mine sent me these encouraging words.
“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. (Psalm 126:5) The blessings of watering the soil with your own tears while you sow the seeds of His love, His Word and the Truth are unfathomable. Keep up the good work you are doing right now, even if the pain seems unbearable...the songs of joy you'll reap at the end will be all worth your tears.”
There have been a lot of tears the last month…

LUKE 2:52 SCHOOL
The new Luke 2:52 special education school is up & running. This has been a dream for years. I was so excited when 6 months ago I learned that Stephanie Mosier a special education teacher had given a year to come serve in Haiti at the Miriam Center to start up the school. I had the wonderful privilege of serving beside her for 2 months this summer. She has such a heart for these kids & God has given her an amazing vision for the school. She has worked for months preparing for the first day of school. I am excited to announce school has started & is in its second week of running. I wanted to share a few stories written by Stephanie in her blog. To read more & see pictures you can check out her blog at http://kimmyshouse.wordpress.com/

First Day of School
August 31, 2011, for 27 kids that was the first day ever of school for them. Keeping that in mind today did go very smoothly. The kids were so excited about school this morning. It took about 10 minutes to get them into the school room, and than our day started. We had about 30 minutes of Bible songs and a story, told by Grant one of the missionaries who is here from Le Bia. He told David and Goliath and acted it out, it was so funny because he was Goliath and little Mackenly was David and would not throw a stone at him. From there we went to centers that had coloring, puzzles and letter formation. And there to our interactive board we are teaching colors and shapes. Then the centers switched and we had a water break, worked on calendar and our day was over. Working tomorrow to kill dead time, there was just too much today. A shout out to Evelyn a kindergarten teacher who works at the Miriam Center and now the school. She had a Creole song for everything, from answering a question correct to ending the school day. Love that woman. Also a shout out to Nahum who had a chant for the calendar and helped me walk Lovensky home. I just could not let him walk home. Sad news though with him, I did not know that he had walked to school by himself and told him he had to wait for his mom to come and get him to go home, He burst into tears, because his mom is in tortuga and he thought he was going to be stuck at school, so than we really had to walk him hime. He is only six and seriously his not that far to his house was pretty far.
Than this afternoon, definitely a more animated crew. Bible time and songs went for almost an hour because this group loves to sing, and they are just too cute. So a kid that I was worried about Stevenson, because he never leaves his mom’s side had a cute start this afternoon. So we were all walking as a group to the school room door and he is crying and just not happy as his mom just drags him to school. Well we walked through the Miriam Center and there is a door his mom just pushed him out shut the door and left. He was standing there crying and one of our almost blind boys Olsen tells him something, and Stevenson stops crying grabs his hand and helps him to the school room. It was so cute. The kids just talk all the time in the afternoon and had such a good time. Son son was coloring a picture of a puppy and saying something Nahum was sitting over there just cracking up I asked what he was saying and Son son was saying, little doggy don’t bite me. So cute. Pretty much sums up the day. Got some work done to make tomorrow go smoother. Please pray this is a lot of work. But God is very good to us and our school.

Partial Dream Come True
Well, yesterday was ok at school we still have so many detail to iron out and it seems like everything is trial and error. But something interesting happened yesterday. I had emailed Shannon that one of my dreams for the classroom was that it would become that safe place for these kids that they just love to come to, and well the kids do have fun we are not there yet. But after school yesterday I went down to the classroom to clean it and there was a man at the window just staring in. I recongnized him as a man that people have been talking about wondering why he is always hanging around the mission. He has cerebral palsy and is deaf. I found out his mom cooks for the meals on heels program and just brings him. Back to the story, well he had his hands cupped around his eyes looking in the classroom, so I went up to him and asked him to come in. I told him this room is a school for the kids who live here. He told me that the kids who live here are not smart. I told him they are they just need a little extra help. So he told me that he is not smart, so of course I had to tell him that he was and I pulled out a white board and he started to write the alphabet, by the letter d he needed help but in sign language we made it through the alphabet and than numbers to 20. He was so proud of himself he asked if we could nail the white board to the wall, told him we could not but did find a way to put it up for display. He asked if he could come back tomorrow. So today I waited for him and he did not show up but today at 5 I went down to clean the classroom and he had pulled out a coloring book and was coloring and asked if it was ok to be in there. I told him it was and he said good, I like it here. So the classroom is turning into that safe place for people with special needs, and it could not make me happier.

First Day of School Age 19
Today was the first day of school for a boy named Moline. And yes he is 19 years old. Mentally there seems to be nothing wrong with him. This culture wants to throw him at as an out cast for the mere fact that he has a hunchback and looks a little different and is not even 4 feet tall. But they do not know what they are missing. This man is a man of character, he is eager to learn and kind to those around him. So I am going to take this moment to say, this is crazy, why at the age of 19 was today the first day of school for a person who is absolutely perfect. I makes me mad with righteous indignation of course that I am starting at square one with a student who is 19. I feel like something here needs to change his story is not like that one who slipped through the cracks but one that is not given a chance. I feel like God has something very special for this young man who has been left behind please pray that we find a great place for him in our school. He enjoyed today and stayed for both session, he was not alone either, I had a 17 year old girl with down syndrome whose first day of school was yesterday and there is a 22 year old girl who showed up today. This whole situation boggles my mind. Ok that is my venting for the night, we will start fresh tomorrow and have fun at school, regardless of age or ability. I love that everyone is welcome and has a place here.

PRAYER REQUESTS
1) Gilbert- Gilbert is one of our outreach boys who is living in the Miriam Center temporarily. This summer as we were redoing how FJS was going to run we were contacting all the families who were apart of the program. We were unable to get a hold of Gilbert & Acerla due to not having a phone number. They live a few hours from the mission on top of a mountain. They were 2 of my favorite kids in the outreach program. Both have some type of genetic disorder that causes their bones to grow together & they are very short. Acerla could’nt walk but Gilbert could. I was sad that we could not make contact especially now that we were getting ready to get the school up & running which would have been perfect for them. I remember last summer sending them home with crayons, paper, beads, & anything I could because they were so eager to learn. Gilbert & his mother showed up at the mission a few weeks ago & we got word that Acerla had passed away a few months ago & Gilberts mom was really sick. Gilbert is staying in the Miriam Home for a month or so & attending school. Please pray for this little boys heart as he adjust to a new environment, missing his sister & grieves her loss (his best friend), as he is homesick & misses his mom. It has been amazing to hear & see pictures of the Miriam Home boys taking him in as if he were always there & including him 

2) I received new on September 6 that Lorvens Charles had passed away. He was one of my outreach children. I have known him for 3 years. He was such a joy but was living with a progressive muscle disease that caused him to over the years become weaker & weaker. He fought hard this race of life & finished that race! He is no longer trapped in his body, losing mobility & the ability to use his hands, unable to catch his breath, or losing weight…HE IS WHOLE, in the arms of His father. Though I will miss him dearly alongside many others…He is WHOLE…w/ his Savior…running, playing, dancing, clapping, singing! Please keep his family & all of those who loved him so dearly in your prayers.

3) Luke 2:52 School- For Stephanie as she continues to iron out the details, make lesson plans, train the Haitian helpers. The cool thing about this school is we have combined the younger kids from the deaf school & have the deaf teacher in the room. The kids are learning sing language, English, & in Creole. It is pretty amazing school dynamic. Pray for the kids as they learn & that this school would continue to be a place where children & adults with disability feel safe!

4) Deaf Church- Please continue to pray for this new ministry. As we reach out to the deaf community & provide them a safe place to worship & learn about God. Something they have never had before.

5) Courtney Peirce- as she continues to day in & day out serve and advocate for these children. Pray for strength, encouragement, & rest for her.

6) Me- please pray that I could surrender Haiti to God. That I could clearly see my role over the next 8 months stateside. I know God has called me to fight for these kids from the states, to raise awareness, & gather supplies & people to help. Pray that I could faithfully fulfill that calling. Also pray for my heart as it aches & misses the kids so much.

7) Possible trip into Haiti at Easter- I am praying about taking a trip into Haiti at Easter. It will just be a 1 week trip to tie up some therapy stuff. 1 big thing is wheelchairs we have been working for over a year to get into Haiti should be there & we will be able to introduce the kids to their new wheelchairs. EXCITING. I am also hoping my parents will be able to come down at this time & meet my kids & mission family & see first hand my heart.

Thank you for all your prayers for the sick children last week who had an allergic reaction to their scaves medicine. They are doing well, off IV & back to being kids :-) God sure is Good & answered all our prayers.

Thank you! Each and everyone one of you for your faithful support. May God Bless you!

Occupational Therapy at Miriam Center in Haiti 2011

This is the video I made about the all the Occupational Therapy work I did in Haiti this summer :-)

My New ADVENTURE = New Job

Well as many of you know the past year has been a whirlwind of CHANGE for me. I graduated from college, left for Haiti for almost a month & a half, came home & had 3 weeks to study for my boards, took my boards, 3 days later packed up a U-haul & moved from PA to NV. I moved to NV not knowing anyone, started my first job working at a school district (an area I did not do a clinical rotation in), & well pretty much so started a new life in an unfamiliar place. WHY? Well because God made it clear that He was calling me there.

Well God was MIGHTY GOOD…He provided me with an AMAZING church family, 3 Bible Studies that allowed me to grow spiritually & stay focused on Him, met 2 AMAZING women of God who later became my housemates, made wonderful friends, Worked with an AMAZING staff at the school district & fell in love with the kids I worked with. I learned how to write IEPS, how to treat kids in a school setting, learns tons of new things, got to teach others the skills I had learned in school or acquired on my other adventures. I was HAPPY to say the least. I had no intentions of leaving.

Well…God had other plans. About 8 months ago I got a brochure in the mail about a therapy clinic in Las Vegas. It was an outpatient pediatric clinic. I read the brochure & told myself it was my dream job…BUT I quickly put it away & reminded myself that I am perfectly happy where I am at…I am making a difference…I am growing spiritually…Life is good. I didn’t think much of it after that. I moved out of my apartment into a house with my 2 new roommates, I began helping start a disability ministry at my church, etc.

Well…with all the budget cuts my job at the school district was up in the air. They did not know if they could pay my contract next year. The company I worked for had a couple other pediatric options but all of them involved moving. I began praying hard about what God wanted me to do. God gave me piece that the job would come through at Douglas.

BUT as the time for me to leave for Haiti came nearer I began looking. If I had to move I decided maybe it was God saying that now I could move to Oklahoma to be with No Boundaries International (where I wanted to move last year but God said not now). I thought it must be now. I applied for 6 jobs out there but all fell through or were not what I wanted. The whole time I prayed that God would open doors He wanted open & close doors He wanted closed. Well He closed all those doors.

A nights later God woke me up at 4AM & kept pressing the Las Vegas Job on my heart & how I should apply. I kinda came up with a list of excuses of why I would never get the job & why I didn’t want to apply BUT He wouldn’t let me fall back asleep. I finally got up & wrote an email that basically said that outpatient pediatrics is my ideal treatment setting but because of what I do in Haiti I would need 2 months off so I understand if you are not interested (it was better worded I am sure but that was the gist of it). I got an email back a day or so later that said that they would be stupid to pass up a good therapist just because I would need 2 months off a year. I began talking to them more & even flew down to Vegas for an interview before I left for Haiti. I loved the clinic & thought it would be an amazing place to work. I would be able to offer a lot but at the same time learn a lot. I did not like the city at all…that was my big turnoff…we all know I am a country girl. Born & raised in the country. I left with a lot to think about.

I left for Haiti still not knowing what next year held. I prayed a lot…discerned where God was calling me…selfishly I wanted to stay where I was at…with my church…my friends…my roommates…I wanted nothing to change BUT I am not called to live a comfortable life…often times God calls us out of our comfort zones to grow us & teach us new things…I had to be willing if God called me to move.

Well a few weeks ago God told me to move to Vegas…To take that job. He affirmed it multiple times. So after all that is said I am moving to Vegas & start my new job Aug 31st working for My Left Foot Therapy Clinic. They have agreed to give me 2 months off a year to be in Haiti with my kids & mission family. EVERYTHING is changing again…once again I moving to a new city where I know no one, once again I must find a church, I have to learn a new job, & I am waaaaaaaaaaaay out of my comfort zone.

With all the changes I was brought back to the book that I read 2x last summer as I prepared to move “The Dream Giver” If you have not read this book it is a Fantastic Book & would highly recommend it. It is an easy read but so insightful. I wanted to share a few quotes that have been an encouragement to me….

“Our Heavenly Father never takes anything away from His children unless He means to give them something better.”

“Great things will happen when you put God first and make Him owner of all you care about.”

I feel that God is taking a lot away from me by asking me to move to Vegas & take this new job BUT I believe that He has something even better in store for me!!! I know great things will happen as I keep God first.


“The single best way to develop leaders is to take people out of their safe environment and away from the people they know, and throw them into a new arena they know little about. Way over their head., preferably. In fact, the more demanding their challenges, the more pressure & risk they face, the more likely a dynamic leader will emerge.”

Well…I think this pretty much describes what God just did…I guess He is developing me to be a leader…

“I’ve noticed the bigger the Dream, the longer the time of preparation…But like Joshua, Joseph, & David passed the tests of the wilderness & emerged prepared for their Dreams. You can to.”

God has given me some pretty BIG Dreams for Haiti & for helping disabilities children in general. He has given me a passion for the least of these & a vision for making the Invisible…Visible through Christ, Children, Community.

“Therefore you need to make the decision. Will you give God permission to do His work- for as long as He wants. In the ways that He wants, to change you as deeply as He wants- to prepare you for your BIG Dream?”

My prayer is that God would make me into the person I need to be to do the Dream He has created me to do…NO matter what that will cost me or where it will lead me or what I have to do to get there.

“Looking back now, I see that I was holding far more tightly to the gift of my Dream than to the Dream Giver Himself.”

I find this to be a constant battle…as yes my Dream is mission work & working for God but I must not get so caught up in pursuing my Dream that it affects my relationship & pursuit after knowing God more!

So there you have it. God is calling me onward to the next leg of my adventure to reach my BIG DREAM. I do ask for you prayers as I don’t like change. I ask that you pray that I could find a good church in Vegas, that I could find a good group of friends, that I would quickly learn & excel at my new job, & that I could grow closer to my Savior every step of the way.

Reflection Back Over The Summer

As I tried to figure out how to explain my summer in words…I decided it would be better if I instead made a videos with pictures & video clips from the summer. I have made 2 videos with plans to make 2 more in the coming weeks.

The first video I made was a Thank You video. It is full of pictures of me & the kids. The second (and longer) video is of all the therapy work I did this summer & it explains each piece. These videos don’t go through everything…obviously…since I took over 3,500 pictures & 120 videos but I think they give you a good taste & hopefully a better understanding.

When I left Haiti I felt like I hadn’t accomplished a lot…BUT when I finally sat down & got to reflect on my summer & everything I was able to accomplish I was blown away…I couldn’t believe that it all got done in 2.5 months.

List of what I was able to accomplish this summer
1. Visibility Boxes
2. Wheelchairs
3. Hand Splints
4. Occupational Therapy Evaluations & Treatment Plans
5. Train Naham
6. For Jonathan’s Sake Handout’s & Folders
7. Feeding Schedules & Feeding Plans
8. Helping develop Miriam Home Rotations
9. Introduction & training on how to use assistive technology
10. Positioning picture rings

The question how do I explain all of these projects to you. Well I made an 11 minute video that explains & shows each project. I will post it on youtube as soon as I get fast enough internet & post the link. All my facebook friend I will post it on their as well.

I then decided to list as many fun activities as I could remember doing with the Miriam Home kids. It was a fun exercise that brought back so many wonderful memories.
-Bubbles
-Playdough
-Painting
-Face painting
-train rides
-going to get Sapebones
-Ice Cream
-File Folder Games
-Games (don’t Break The Ice, Elephant game, etc.)
-Trips to the playground
-Wheelchair soccer
-Baking Cookies & Cakes
-Playing guitar for them especially Our God is an Awsome God!
-Shaving Cream
-Dancing
-Singing & Musical Instruments
-Movie Nights
-Saturday Cartoons
-Crafts
-Pretend 4 wheeler rides
-soccer
-Playing on old Cardboard boxes
-Hammock Time
-IPAD Time
-Puppet Shows
-VBS
-Going to church
-Night Routine of singing worship songs with my boys & Praying together
-Glow in the dark night

As you can see from the list above I had A LOT of fun with my kids. I have not had a chance to make a Miriam Home video. It will probably be a few weeks since I am back in NV & my computers video making program is not working. I will have to wait till my family comes out to help me move so I can use my mom’s computer.

So as I reflect back over the summer I stand in Awe of my BIG GOD & all the ways He worked in the lives around me as well as in & through me. I am humbled by all that God equipped & allowed me to do (much I did not feel qualified to do & could have only done with his guidance, strength & help). I feel extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to work alongside some of the most AMAZING people. To watch my Haitian staff pour out God’s love over the children. To watch my kids learn new things & just grow. I really do not know how to encompass in words this summer. One thing I know for sure after this summer…NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD! Thank you for all your prayers & support!

What Now...Now that I am back Stateside

This Summer I have committed to being more involved when I am not in Haiti fighting for the kids & helping with things stateside. Last year I took on the roll as Miriam Center Therapy Coordinator. I spent a lot of time last year when I was not in Haiti writing therapy companies for donations, going around speaking & sharing what God was doing in Haiti, creating new evaluation forms to be used this summer Haiti, researching assistive technology, researching how to help our kids more, & raising money to buy supplies to take into Haiti. I will continue to do this from the states again.

I have also decided to take on the role of being in contact with groups before they come to Haiti if they are going to spend anytime at all in the Miriam Center. My plan from the Nevada is to be in contact with every group that plans to visit the Miriam Center & based on how big their group is provide them with a couple specific kids (both higher functioning & lower functioning) that I would encourage them find a few group members from their team to commit to spending 30 minutes at least 1x during their stay at the mission. I would also attach the children’s bios so that they could start praying for the children & have the opportunity to start making a connection with them.
I also want to be able to provide each of the groups with a bunch of different group activities they could do with the kids (shaving cream, cornstarch, face painting, painting, finger painting, wheelchair races, glow in the dark nights, take the kids for ice cream, go to playground, take the kids for sapebones, take the kids to the beach, etc.) & allow them to plan for what activities they want to do. So they no longer come the Miriam Center & ask to do an activity but have no idea what they want to do. This would allow them to plan for what they want to do & walk in ready to engage & interact with the kids. I am so EXCITED for the potential this has.

For Jonathan Sake Update

For those of you who don’t know For Jonathan’s Sake is our outreach program to help families who have disabled children in the surrounding towns & villages around the mission to not only survive but thrive by providing them with the resources to provide for & take care of their disabled children. Most of these children come from single parent families because after they have a disabled child they are seen at fault for this disabled child…even cursed. Children with disabilities are looked down upon…seen as worthless, cursed, possessed…These children are often hid away, abandoned…FORGOTTEN…INVISIBLE. The mission of the Miriam Center is to make the INVISIBLE…VISIBLE through Christ, Children, Community.

“I will rescue the lame & gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise & honor in every land where they have been put to shame” Zephaniah 3:19

As I look back on the summer & the plans I thought God had for this program & the ones I prepared for…I have to laugh because very little of those plans happened. When I was originally planning for Haiti I had no plans of doing much with the FJS program. I had spent a huge portion of last summer pouring into this program. I was planning on focusing on Miriam Home. Well, God had others plans. He revealed to me about a month before I left for Haiti that I was suppose to write a Bible Study based on the names of Christ & share it with the FJS parents & that I was to focus on training those parents in therapy techniques. Well, I listened & began planning for this…I went into Haiti ready to share this new Bible study & with all the supplies needed to make each FJS parent a folder that would have handouts & evaluations in them to help then help their child. When I arrived in Haiti I walked into the Miriam Home Children having chicken pox & having to cancel FJS for 6 weeks. At that point I decided that I would still do the first 4 weeks of my Bible Study with the parents & try to make some handouts. Shortly after that I had a meeting with Janeil where we decided we needed to get each of the kids sponsored (which involves a lot of paperwork) in order to keep this program running. The first 2 weeks of FJS was full of gathering information to get the kids sponsored & I did not get to start my Bible Study or do any training. God had huge plans for my last 2 weeks that I could have never dreamed of (read below)

1. SPONSORSHIP

Earlier this summer I wrote a blog about my heavy heart over some BIG…Hard decisions that we had to be make for this program including no longer being able to feed the families. We had the hard task of restructuring this program to take it from being a dying program to a thriving one.

So the question then became where do we start? SPONSORSHIP... All the programs at NWHCM run off of sponsorship & we realized this is a huge piece we had been missing. The last 3 weeks I was in Haiti I sat down with each FJS family & gathered all the information we needed to make sponsorship packets for each child. I evaluated each child, figured out their diagnosis, wrote a summary of what they could & could not do, had a translator who helped gather family history & other important information from the parents & had a photographer get a picture of each child with their parent. We basically acted like we were starting this program over. We re-entered every family back into the program. We grouped each child in 1 of 5 categories & gave them 1 day a week that they will come to the mission from 1-4.

There is something quite beautiful about sponsorship…not only does it provide financially for that child to receive care & the message of Christ shared with them & their family BUT it also opens doors for relationships to be formed. Someone else called by God takes a step of faith & obedience to God’s call…sacrifices financially so that one of these children who has been INVISIBLE to the world can become VISIBLE…that person becomes an advocate, prayer warrior, faithful partner to that child & their family. HOPE is restored…CHANGE begins…VISIBILITY happens. I am so excited to see these relationships begin to be built over the next few months. Also…please pray about whether sponsoring one of these children would be something God is asking you to do…maybe you can’t do $75 a month …maybe financially you cannot sponsor a child but you could become a prayer warrior for 1 or multiple of these children & their families. God has blessed us so that we can be a blessing to others.

2. Handouts & Folders

I had originally hoped to make each FJS family a folder with some basic handouts on positioning & stretching but with all the events that happened & with sponsorship I decided to wait till next year. I was already overwhelmed with everything I needed to finish up before I left (at this point in like 2 weeks). Well, one day at FJS one of the parents confronted me on the fact that last year I had promised handouts to help them work with their child & they had never received any. I felt bad & so set out to create a generic stretching handout. Well that handout led to me making one for how to use the therapy brush, one for how to use the therapy ball, & one for how to use the bolster. In the end I was able to provide each family with a folder that had 6 pages of handout (some front & back) that were all in picture form with English & Creole translation on them. I trained a Hatian, Presidue who will teach the parents how to stretch their children, brush them, & massage them. I am so excited for the potential these folders have. Each of the handouts was laminated, 3 hole punched & placed in their folder. Their folder was then placed in a 2 gallon ziplock bag to make it waterproof.

3. Sewing
I have always had a dream of starting a sewing program with the FJS mothers. I feel like it would be awesome to be able to teach them a trade that they could then use to support their family. Last summer I took in tons of material & sewing supplies with the intentions of beginning to teach sewing. Unfortunately last summer it never got off the ground. Well, 2 of the mothers who are in my Thursday group confronted me the fact that I told them that we would begin to learn to sew last summer & never did. It was a God moment because as my heart broke as I realized I was going to have to tell them that it wouldn’t happen this summer either. BUT then I realized that Cara was standing behind me. Cara was the one who first brought me to Haiti back in 2007. She just graduated from OT school & passed her boards prior to coming into Haiti this summer. Her main purpose in Haiti this summer was teaching the women in the town of La Fordge how to sew & how to make various other crafts that they could learn to make & then sell at Market. I asked her if the next week she would be willing to teach my FJS mothers how to make something. She agreed. It was a joy to see how excited these mothers were. I still believe & hope that one day this will be an aspect to the FJS program.

4. School
We are tremendously blessed to have Stephanie Mosier a special education teacher in working in the Miriam Center for the next year. Her goal is to get our special education school up & running. She is well on her way which is super exciting!!! Originally the plan was that this school would be for the Miriam Home children but after seeing about 15 kids in the FJS program that would benefit tremendously from having access to education & very capable of learning & growing it was decided that in the afternoon these children would come to school. So in the morning the special education school with run for the Miriam Home children & in the afternoon it will run for the 15 or so FJS children. These children will not come 1 day a week but instead they will get to come to school 5-6 days a week. This is HUGE…considering that in Haiti many kids without disabilities never get the opportunity to go to school because you have to pay not only to go to school but also have to buy uniforms. In Haiti if you have any type of physical disability or mental handicap even if you could afford to go you are not allowed. So these 15 children would NEVER have gotten the opportunity to go to school if it were not for the Luke 2:52 getting up & running. Please pray for the school, pray for Stephanie as she continues to prepare to start the school.

5. Bible Study On The Names Of Christ
I was so excited to be able to do the first 2 weeks of the Bible Study God gave me with the parents. The first week I did the name ELOHIM = Creator. I started all the way in Genesis 1:1 where His name is first used. I then spent most of the time studying Psalm 139:13-14. I copy & pasted a piece of my study to give you idea of what we discussed.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mothers womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

-God created you…he knit you together
-Have you ever seen someone knit of weave something? How much effort and time goes into it…tremendous attention to detail…none look exactly alike.
-God knit us together…he put much thought into creating you and creating your child…he looked at every detail & planned it out. That’s what makes us special
-Look around at everyone here….do any of us look exactly alike….NO because each of us has been created unique in God…made so we each can uniquely bring God glory.
-Your Child Version of Psalm 139:13-14
-“For God created your child’s inmost being; He knit him/her together in your womb. praise God because your child is fearfully and wonderfully made; God’s works are wonderful, know that full well.”

Then I studied 2 more scriptures of what the Bible has to say about disabled people/children. I told them that we constantly here what others around us think about disabilities & we know what society thinks but really the only opinion that matters is what Christ thinks.

Exodus 4:10 Remember when “Moses said to the LORD, ‘Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since Thou hast spoken to thy servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue’
Exodus 4:11- The Lords reply…”Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him dumb or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?”

John 9:2-3 when Jesus’ disciples saw a man blind from birth, “and His disciples asked Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind? How did Jesus answer…”It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
It was amazing to be able to open up scripture & teach these parents about what scripture has to say about their children! Pretty amazing!

The second name we studied was El Roi- The God who sees. The scripture that we studied was Rahab. Here is a glimpse of what we talked about….

Story Hagar (Gen 16)

“She was Thrown out! Like a soiled, worthless rag! Used for another’s pleasure and then mistreated. It was too much; she couldn’t handle it. She felt like an outcast…She was Hagar, the one who bore the son of Sarai’s husband Abram.

Can you relate? Have you ever been thrown out, cast away? You fulfilled someones pleasure then you weren’t wanted anymore? Or were you unjustly cast out?

Sarai (Abrahams wife) was unable to have children… God had given Abram a promise that he would be the father of many nations yet they were old in age (past child-bearing) & still no children. Sarai had an Egyptian maidservant

so she made her maidservant Hagar have a child for her…Hagar didn’t have a choice she was a slave…she was obedient and did what was asked of her.

Hagar became pregnant & began to dispise her mistress…Sarai had done this too her…Sarai ended up blaming Abram for doing this & he was the reason her mistress now despised her.

Hagar ended up running away

Genesis 16:7-10, 13
“The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert, it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” I’m running away from my mistress Sarai, she answered. Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress & submit to her.” The angel added, “I will increase your descendents and they will be too numerous to count.”
She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her. “You are the God who sees me (El Roi), for she said, “I have now seen the one who sees me.”

Great news…God see you…He sees your pain, He sees your troubles, He sees the trials you face everyday as a parent of a disabled child. HE sees your disabled child…and as we learned last week he is not surprised that they are that way…He made them exactly how they are to fulfill his purpose and plan through them. He sees… He knows its hard…He knows at times you want to run away, give up…

But just like Hagar I believe He is calling you to stick with it…God called Hagar back to the very situation she had run away from…He saw the situation…He knew it was hard…But that was God’s call for her life. God has called you to be a parent of a disabled child…He is going to do amazing things in your life & your child’s life if you let him…If you trust him…He you SEE who he really is…and His names reveal His character

I wish I would have had more time to do more of the names of Christ with the parents but am very thankful for the 2 weeks I did get to share with them. I truly believe God spoke to the parents through these first 2 names to help them see better how God see them & their children.

Visibility Boxes

If I could sum up my summer or the goal of my summer it would be to Make the Invisible…Visible through Christ, Children, Community, which is our mission statement for the Miriam Center. Everything I did was to accomplish further our mission statement. All the therapy, all the training, all the paperwork, all the love I poured out, all the trials I faced, and all the frustrations I dealt with was to make these children & their families Visible in a country that does not see them & that does not see their worth. Probably the biggest way I was able accomplish this goal was through the development of the new Visibility Boxes.

I did not go into Haiti planning to create this system nor did I even have an idea about or for this project. The idea for the Visibility Boxes was developed out of a conversation I had with Janiel Owens during a meeting which triggored a memory of a project Courtney & I had talked about trying a few years ago but never got around to. Truly the Visibility Boxes were developed throughout the entire summer. They started out as just a box of toys with the child’s picture & name attached. They quickly acquired multiple dimensions as the weeks rolled on.

Where Did The Name Visibility Boxes Come From?

(Written by Courtney Peirce)
What do you do in a country that sees those with limitations as an obstacle to survival? What do you do when a culture sees through the eyes a belief system that deems those with disabilities less than human? What happens when a percentage of your population, due to physical or mental limitations, isn’t seen at all –– is invisible? The answer is simple –– make them visible. Open eyes to their presence; their needs; their value and show the world just how BIG our God is. Open any dictionary and you’ll find a myriad of definitions for the word “invisible.” The simplest form, of course, is “that which is not visible.” That may answer the “what” question –– but it doesn’t answer the “why.” The definitions I have found that get more to the root of the issue are:
• Withdrawn from, or out of the site of people
• Not perceptible or discernible by the mind

People are not naturally “invisible.” God created each of us to be seen –– to be loved. In order for someone to become invisible someone had to withdraw them from the site of others. In Haiti these children are often hidden away by their parents –– hidden from the site of those who might hurt them, reject them. They become locked in their own world –– denied the opportunity to interact with others, to learn, to contribute. But sometimes the invisible is right in front of us and still we do not see. Why? Because too often we ignore the things we don’t understand. What we can’t perceive/discern becomes invisible to us and we simply live our lives ignoring it –– even when it’s a human being living with a disability. The Miriam Center operates around the simple belief that everyone deserves to be seen. By caring for those with special needs; by training and assisting parents to care for their children; by bringing them out into the world we are making the invisible VISIBLE.

Even the idea of “community” is an often invisible factor in Haiti –– survival is an utmost concern and people must watch out for their own needs and the needs of their immediate family. But as neighbors come alongside our families, as they learn to love and be loved by these children, even a spirit of community is restored and becomes quite tangible and visible. And perhaps the most invisible presence in all of this is Christ Himself. The people of Haiti have sometimes placed their trust –– their faith is misdirected places. But they are seeking –– searching for answer that will give them peace and a hope. Here at the Miriam Center we serve a mighty God who is bringing about mighty change in a hurting place –– and so, as we go, as we serve, the greatest blessing we can pour out is to make Christ visible to these people. To meet their needs as we can, but more importantly to introduce them to the One who can meet all their needs and more. Christ • Children • Community... together, and with God’s help, we are making the invisible VISIBLE! Praise God!


So the name for these boxes came from idea that these boxes help make the Miriam Center children more Visible to our Hatian staff & to the hundreds American’s that come through the Miriam Center doors every year was to create a way that they could easily & comfortably step into these children’s world. The Visibility Boxes allow for this.


What Exactly Are Visibility Boxes?

The visibility boxes are full of toys specific to each child to help them meet their goals. Attached to the outside of the box is a ring with the child’s picture; their biography; their Occupational Therapy & Educational Goals; pictures of each toy with a description of the different ways to use that toy; a card with pictures of the most appropriate ways to position the child that will help for people to fully see them; and a packet of communication pictures (PECS) to allow the child to more fully communicate their needs & wants.
Visibility boxes allow you to walk into these precious children’s world and know exactly what how to interact with them, engage them, and at the same time help them make progress towards their therapy and educational goals through purposeful play. To see the invisible as VISIBLE.

How Exactly Do Visibility Boxes Work?

The Visibility Boxes contain everything you need to walk into the child’s world. It is so simple that I had the privilege of watching a 4 year old & a 6 year old utilize the boxes. Multiple times throughout the summer these 2 precious children would find me & excitedly ask to pull boxes for certain kids. I got to watch barriers fall as they had a blast playing together.
Right when you walk into the Miriam Center there are 2 big wooden cabinets that are labeled VISIBILITY Boxes. 1 is labeled Higher Functioning with pictures of each child that has a box in that cabinet. Each of the children in this cabinet has their own box. The children in the low functioning cabinet share 4 boxes & a variety of equipment to help with positioning. The cabinets are labeled with pictures so you can easily find where the child you want to play with is.
It is very simple…if you have a specific child in mind that you want to work with you simply have to find out what cabinet they are in, pull their box, read their bio, look at appropriate positioning, pull any positioning equipment (if they are lower functioning), & find a place to interact/play with that child.
So many people have told me they feel overwhelmed when they walk into the Miriam Center…They don’t know how to interact with kids…they don’t know how to position them…How to play with them. These boxes break all those barriers.

The Results…

I had the privilege of watching the boxes get used throughout the summer. I had such joy watching people walk right into the children’s world & have so much fun doing so. I had multiple people tell me how much easier it was for them to interact with the kids, how they felt like they new how to play with the kids, that they felt they were making a difference. I am so excited for the huge potential these boxes have in making the Invisible…Visible.


My Hope For The Future With The Boxes

I hope to be able to expand in the variety of toys in the boxes. I hope to get some specific therapy equipment to put in the boxes that can be used with specific kids. The goal is that every 2 months that toys are rotated so that the kids have new toys in their box.
My plan from the Nevada is to be in contact with every group that plans to visit the Miriam Center & based on how big their group is provide them with a couple specific kids (both higher functioning & lower functioning) that I would encourage them find a few group members from their team to commit to spending 30 minutes at least 1x during their stay at the mission. I would also attach the children’s bios so that they could start praying for the children & have the opportunity to start making a connection with them.
I also want to be able to provide each of the groups with a bunch of different group activities they could do with the kids (shaving cream, cornstarch, face painting, painting, finger painting, wheelchair races, glow in the dark nights, take the kids for ice cream, go to playground, take the kids for sapebones, take the kids to the beach, etc.) & allow them to plan for what activities they want to do. So they no longer come the Miriam Center & ask to do an activity but have no idea what they want to do. This would allow them to plan for what they want to do & walk in ready to engage & interact with the kids. I am so EXCITED for the potential this has.

Sick Kids

Sick Kids
We have been fighting some nasty viruses & illnesses in the Miriam Center. It is the hardest thing to watch your kids be sick especially when they are battling death. There were nights this week I really thought I was going to be woken up & told that we lost a kid. There has been no point this week that we have not had less than 4 kids in our sick unit. Currently as I write we have 5 kids up there. We actually had to turn one of the baby bungalo’s into a sick ward for our kids so we could isolate them.

Job
I will start with Job…Job is my boy. I fell deeply in love with this child 2 years ago when we almost lost him to aspiration pneumonia…everyone call him my kid. We have a special connection & I love that boy so much. He came down with a fever for 2 days before we realized how sick he was. He was placed on an IV because he was severely dehydrated. He seemed to start feeling better & was taken off of IV 2 days later. I was in their feeding him dinner but he refused to eat it (grits) He would clench his teeth shut & when I finally would get some food into his mouth it would take him a few minutes to finally swallow it before choking & being too weak to cough it back up & begin wheezing no matter what position I would try to put him in while feeding liquid or smooth solids. I let it go for a day hoping he would get better but he only got worse & I then realized he was on his way towards aspiration pneumonia. At 10:00PM Thursday night I finally told the nurses they needed to put an IV back in but after 5 attempts they were unable to get a line. Courtney & I made the decision to put an NG tube down into his stomach so we could bypass swallowing & his lungs & try to get him well again. He is doing much better but still trying to figure out a feeding schedule…how often, how much. We are in the process of getting pediasure & formula from the Dominican republic from our friend Heather. This is an unexpected exspense of about $400. We are so blessed to have this connection though & this opportunity. The plan is to do a 2-3 week all liquid diet & see how he improves. It is really hard as Hatian Culture is not accepting of feeding tubes very well. I am having a difficult time teaching my nurses…I walked in today to find them shoving ground up beans down his tube (big risk for clogging). Really trying to trust God…praying for wisdom as I do not feel qualified to make life & death decision, not qualified to make feeding schedules BUT I serve a God who is & I know will give me wisdom & guidance. My boy has gone from looking like death with a sucken in stomach to a puffed out stomach & will smile again when I touch his stomach. I feel that we are on the right track.

Henry Claude
Henry Claude is one of our kids in Rou’s Corner (Terminally ill portion of the Miriam Center) He is in this category because of how malnourished he is. He has been unable to keep food down for months. He gags himself with his hands because he is so oral seeking. A few weeks ago we made arm braces that prevent him from getting his hands to his mouth but he finds other ways to gag himself & is so orally seeking that he bit another child’s butt & has licked multiple kids & anything he can get his tongue on. This is a hard enough battle as we strive to figure out how to get nourishment into this kid BUT then he came down with a stomach virus that he had bad diarrhea & got extremely dehydrated & looked like death for 4 days. He is still up in the sick unit. He is fighting hard & I just pray that we could get nourishment in him & that he would keep it down. That he would gain strength. For wisdom & guidance as we try to figure out how to help him

Anestasia
Our second newest member to the Miriam Home, she came to join our family from the baby orphanage 3 days ago. I fell in love with the precious angel 3 weeks ago when someone from a short-term trip who was a nurse came to find me to tell me about a little girl in the baby orphanage with a cleft lip & possible other physical problems. I went over to evaluate her. I went up to find this precious little girl who as I held her could tell she had aspiration in her lungs. She was tiny but could tell that she had to be over a year old & possibly closer to 2 by the fact that she can sit up on her own & has a full mouth of teeth but is the size of a 2-3 month old. Today we put her in preemie diapers & they were big on her. We knew in the next couple of years we would acquire her into the Miriam Center family but had no intention anytime soon. Courtney had some cleft lip bottles & so I provided her with one for the workers in the baby orphanage to feed her with. $ days ago Courtney was up in the baby orphanage looking for old equipment I could use to turn into wheelchairs (will post later on my wheelchair Mania). As she was telling our nurse from the Miriam Center about Anestasia’s problems & how one day she would join our family the baby orphanage nurse told us to take her. We had the doctor look her over & found out she is much sicker than we thought. She had been fighting a lung infection for 3 weeks that has not responded to antibiotics & they were worried it may be more serious like TB. Many tests have been done & still don’t know. She is really sick…fighting hard but super malnourished with a serious lung infection. We are told she may not make it long. Today we made the decision to put a NG tube into her that will like Job allow the food to bypass her cleft palate & lungs to hopefully allow her lungs to heal. Please pray for God’s healing touch in her little body. Peace for us as a staff especially Courtney as today marked Sara Rou’s 3rd Birthday (which we celebrated hard core with the kids). Sara Rou was a little baby with a cleft palate who only lived 42 days but made a huge impact & stole Courtney’s heart…she really was her kid. A tough day to have a child that reminds her so much of that sweet little girl be so sick. Pray for her heart please.

Lounide, Moise, Jimson, John Kerry
These 4 children all had the stomach flu…diarrhea & throwing up. Lounide & Moise have recovered but Jimson & John Kerry just came down with within the last 48 hours. Please pray for their recovery & that the virus would stop spreading…& if it doesn’t for healing & protection for our children with compromised immune systems.

Please pray for our nurses & staff as they have been non-stop on call & basically here at the mission the past 2 weeks. It is so easy for me to get frustrated when things are done the way I want them or to my standards or when the language barrier affects the children’s quality of care but I must remember they are exhausted, they have training, they love these kids, & I have to let God…surrender…let God. This is so hard. So thank you for being prayer warriors with me as we fight for these children through prayer to our Healer & Great Physician.

Trip to Ansephalor

I finally took a day to get off campus & go for a trip. I went for a couple reasons…1. to get off campus & get back into culture, I can caught up in my own little world of the Miriam Center & lose perspective…2. to spend time with my fellow missionaries since so often I am in my own little world…3. I wanted to go to Ansephalor since I had not been their in a few years. I wanted to be reminded of the spiritual warefare we are up against & spend some time in prayer for this country.

I had a wonderful day. It started off with an hour tap-tap ride there…which call me crazy but I love tap-tap rides. I put on my MP3 player with worship music hopped in the back of the truck & enjoyed the very scenic off-roading trip. We were going to 2 different Vodoo places that I had never been before.

1. Twin Basin
It was about a ¼ mile trail to the cave that had a 15 foot drop off inside that at the bottom was full of water. At the beginning of the trail they believe you have to stop at this one rock…light a candle & ask that spirit if you can enter the path to the Twin Basin. Once you reach the opening to the cave you have to climb up in & lower yourself down into the basin of water 15 or so feet below. This was a place that people go when they need to deep cleansing. They believe a snake with 2 heads that is rainbow colored is the spirit snake that lives there. They go into the dark hole of water & scrub their entire body down cleansing themselves. They then must leave the clothes they wore in & put on new ones. They usually go from here to the monument then to the temple. We were unable to go in the cave to look down in the hole because there were so many people there.

2. The Monument
After Twin Basin, 4 of us decided to hike up to the monument as one of our staff had never been their & since it has been since 2007 since I have been there. On the way up to the Monument we saw a lady on her way back down who we saw leaving twin Basin. All the way up the mountain to the monument there are little stops to give burnt offerings to the spirits. At the top of the mountain is the bottom post to what used to be a huge cross. IT is believe anywhere from 100 to 200 years ago during a lightening storm the cross beam was struck down by lightening & at the same time is when the doll they worship in the temple fell from heaven. They took this as a sign Satan defeated Christ. The bottom of the monument has a place carved in the rocks to do burnt offerings. People come up here to pray for a variety of things anywhere from healing or help to asking the spirits to curse or even kill someone. It is really heartbreaking to know it used to be a cross that sat on the top of a huge hill that looked out over the entire city. It is sad that people have been taught this their entire life…that this is what they perceive as truth. It is sad to think that they see all these ritualistic practices as freeing when really they are so enslaving.

3. House of Spirits
When we got down from the Monument we headed to the house of spirits which is a hike up a very steep loose rock mountain…that as you climb rocks crumble down on the person behind you. You climb up…over then down in these amazing caves. The adventurous side of me got really excited & went down in these dark crawl space caves with some other mission staff. We explored for about 20 minutes before we all met in the center of the big cave where we had a picnic lunch followed by each of us reading a verse or 2 from our Bible on Spiritual Warefare, God’s conquering power & victory of sin/death. It was really powerful as their were grown men their with dolls obviously before we got there praying & worshiping Voodoo. I was just reminded of how real this battle against Satan is especially in a country so caught up in Voodoo. It is so heartbreaking to know the truth that sets you free & see so many people who think they know the truth but live in bondage & a religion that is a list of rules that enslave you.

4. The Beach
We ended our day by going to the beach for a few hours. I forgot my bathing suite so chilled under a tree & read my Bible & did my Ruth Bible study, then took a walk. When I got back from my walk a few young men came up & wanted to listen to my MP3 player & asked if I would read from the Bible for them. So they gave me passages they wanted read & I read them to them. It was fun.

Trip to Ansephalor

I finally took a day to get off campus & go for a trip. I went for a couple reasons…1. to get off campus & get back into culture, I can caught up in my own little world of the Miriam Center & lose perspective…2. to spend time with my fellow missionaries since so often I am in my own little world…3. I wanted to go to Ansephalor since I had not been their in a few years. I wanted to be reminded of the spiritual warefare we are up against & spend some time in prayer for this country.

I had a wonderful day. It started off with an hour tap-tap ride there…which call me crazy but I love tap-tap rides. I put on my MP3 player with worship music hopped in the back of the truck & enjoyed the very scenic off-roading trip. We were going to 2 different Vodoo places that I had never been before.

1. Twin Basin
It was about a ¼ mile trail to the cave that had a 15 foot drop off inside that at the bottom was full of water. At the beginning of the trail they believe you have to stop at this one rock…light a candle & ask that spirit if you can enter the path to the Twin Basin. Once you reach the opening to the cave you have to climb up in & lower yourself down into the basin of water 15 or so feet below. This was a place that people go when they need to deep cleansing. They believe a snake with 2 heads that is rainbow colored is the spirit snake that lives there. They go into the dark hole of water & scrub their entire body down cleansing themselves. They then must leave the clothes they wore in & put on new ones. They usually go from here to the monument then to the temple. We were unable to go in the cave to look down in the hole because there were so many people there.

2. The Monument
After Twin Basin, 4 of us decided to hike up to the monument as one of our staff had never been their & since it has been since 2007 since I have been there. On the way up to the Monument we saw a lady on her way back down who we saw leaving twin Basin. All the way up the mountain to the monument there are little stops to give burnt offerings to the spirits. At the top of the mountain is the bottom post to what used to be a huge cross. IT is believe anywhere from 100 to 200 years ago during a lightening storm the cross beam was struck down by lightening & at the same time is when the doll they worship in the temple fell from heaven. They took this as a sign Satan defeated Christ. The bottom of the monument has a place carved in the rocks to do burnt offerings. People come up here to pray for a variety of things anywhere from healing or help to asking the spirits to curse or even kill someone. It is really heartbreaking to know it used to be a cross that sat on the top of a huge hill that looked out over the entire city. It is sad that people have been taught this their entire life…that this is what they perceive as truth. It is sad to think that they see all these ritualistic practices as freeing when really they are so enslaving.

3. House of Spirits
When we got down from the Monument we headed to the house of spirits which is a hike up a very steep loose rock mountain…that as you climb rocks crumble down on the person behind you. You climb up…over then down in these amazing caves. The adventurous side of me got really excited & went down in these dark crawl space caves with some other mission staff. We explored for about 20 minutes before we all met in the center of the big cave where we had a picnic lunch followed by each of us reading a verse or 2 from our Bible on Spiritual Warefare, God’s conquering power & victory of sin/death. It was really powerful as their were grown men their with dolls obviously before we got there praying & worshiping Voodoo. I was just reminded of how real this battle against Satan is especially in a country so caught up in Voodoo. It is so heartbreaking to know the truth that sets you free & see so many people who think they know the truth but live in bondage & a religion that is a list of rules that enslave you.

4. The Beach
We ended our day by going to the beach for a few hours. I forgot my bathing suite so chilled under a tree & read my Bible & did my Ruth Bible study, then took a walk. When I got back from my walk a few young men came up & wanted to listen to my MP3 player & asked if I would read from the Bible for them. So they gave me passages they wanted read & I read them to them. It was fun.

For Jonathan's Sake

For Jonathan’s Sake is our outreach program to help families who have disabled children in the surrounding towns & villages around the mission to not only survive but thrive by providing them with the resources to provide for & take care of their disabled children. Most of these children come from single parent families because after they have a disabled child they are seen at fault for this disabled child…even cursed. Children with disabilities are looked down upon…seen as worthless, cursed, possessed…These children are often hid away, abandoned…FORGOTTEN…INVISIBLE. The mission of the Miriam Center is to make the INVISIBLE…VISIBLE through Christ, Children, Community.

“I will rescue the lame & gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise & honor in every land where they have been put to shame” Zephaniah 3:19
My heart continues to hurt as many BIG decisions & changes are having to be made to this program. The way it is running right now is not God-honoring or sustainable. We are called to do everything for the glory of God. This program has gotten big fast. 3 years ago we had 4 children and now over 80. It is hard to face the hard truth that there is no money to sustain this program…no food available to feed…and we are unable to be the face of Jesus to these families when we say 1 thing but are unable to provide. Is a change necessary…YES…Is change easy…NO.

How do you look at a program that started out with the vision that it would be a program that would provide food to each of these families for the entire week, provide educational play/therapy 1x per week, training for the parents to continue therapy & education at home, Bible study for the mothers, & a place where they could build community.

It was very hard to look at what we said we were going to provide & see that we have not been consistent in any of these areas over the past 3 years. Have we provided all these at some point over the last 3 years…YES! Some more than others BUT with no consistency...which I feel has broken trust with the families. God revealed to me that it is better to provide 1 or 2 areas consistently & be the face of Jesus than to try to provide all the areas & fail to be the face of Jesus. The Miriam Center team has felt called to relook at how FSJ runs…relook at our vision for this program. We have been deep in prayer about where God is calling us to take this program. Would we eventually love to be able to provide everything listed above…YES! BUT right now that is not possible.

So the question then became where do we start? SPONSORSHIP... All the programs at NWHCM run off of sponsorship & we realized this is a huge piece we have been missing. This next week we will be sitting down with each FSJ family & gathering all the information we need to make sponsorship packets for each child. There is something quite beautiful about sponsorship…not only does it provide financially for that child to receive care & the message of Christ shared with them & their family BUT it also opens doors for relationships to be formed. Someone else called by God takes a step of faith & obedience to God’s call…sacrifices financially so that one of these children who has been INVISIBLE to the world can become VISIBLE…that person becomes an advocate, prayer warrior, faithful partner to that child & their family. HOPE is restored…CHANGE begins…VISIBILITY happens. I am so excited to see these relationships begin to be built over the next few months. Also…please pray about whether sponsoring one of these children would be something God is asking you to do…maybe you can’t do $75 a month …maybe financially you cannot sponsor a child but you could become a prayer warrior for 1 or multiple of these children & their families. God has blessed us so that we can be a blessing to others. One of my favorite songs & the song my blog is named after is Overflow…the lyrics are as follows…

As you call me near, I come
Drawn with holy fear and awe
Into heaven’s doors to see u as you are
You who formed the earth with your hands
Sun and moon shine at your command
Who can know the vastness of the Lord most high

Bridge 1
As I draw near I offer my life to my Jesus
Who fills me with mercy and grace
As I go out I will open my eyes and awaken
You will be a blessing through me

Chorus
You’re the overflow
The sustainer of my soul
Pouring out of me
Living water for the weary
Bless me so I might be a blessing
Heal me so I might bring healing
Cover me, so that I might be a covering
For you

Vs.2
Its because of you, I must go
Sent to tell the world and to show
Friend or enemy, the love I com to know
Where confusion reigns I will be peace
Where there are bondaged chains bring release
Where there are tears and pain, may I be the joy of the morning

Bridge 2
Heal me with your love o Lord, pour out till I overflow (4x)

”Defend the cause of the weak & fatherless, maintain the rights of the poor & oppressed.” Ps. 82:3
What do we do until the children get sponsored?...How else do we need to change the program to make it sustainable & God honoring?...What changes need to be made now even if they are temporary?... We are still praying & discerning God on this. We have ideas of where God is leading but they involve some hard steps & choices to be made now. Please continue to pray for wisdom & guidance for all involved. Pray that we could hear clearly God’s voice & know His will. Pray we could see His vision for this program…that we could trust Him & His plans.

“My ways are not your ways declares the LORD…Neither are my thoughts your thoughts.”

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21

Fun With Kids Last Week

The past few days I have had many quality…fun moments with the kids…from just sitting with them & singing songs with signs with them, cuddling with them to going for walks outside the gates for walks. 2 highlight moments for me were going for Sapebon’s with Den-Den, Joseph, & Mackinely. We walked downtown to find a vendor to buy enough Sapebon’s so that each child in the Miriam Center could have one (or some of one for the lower-functioning kids). I was a little nervous taking Den-Den as you have to walk down this steep, rocky hill & therefore back up the hill on the way back BUT he did amazing with Nahum’s help holding under his arms to help. We even walked around for about 30 minutes downtown before coming back. My favorite part though was once we got back. The boys handed each of their brothers & sisters Sapebon’s & I had helped feet the lower functioning kids. Den-Den kept telling me his “Moma’s” the workers didn’t get any…My heart broke because this boy did not want his Moma’s to be left out. So I snuck back out & bought enough for all the workers to have one & Den-Den proudly found each of his Moma’s to give them one  PRICELESS Moment.

Another moment for me was Saturday when I was evaluating Thamara… I was just blown away by how much she could do. Thamara I always thought was at a 2 year level all around mentally, emotionally, etc. But NO she is so bright. She was able to trace over shapes & letters, lace independently, color independently, stay seated on fine motor tasks unattended, & the list goes on & on. She was so excited to sit down & work together.

Kenderson is still fascinated with the back depot closet & since the past 4 days I have been super busy & focused on finishing the visibility boxes which involves tons of printing, cutting, laminating, hole punching & Stephanie has been busy using the Cricket to cut out stuff to make teaching materials to develop a curriculum we have spent a lot of time in the Luke 2:52 room. We have been letting Kenderson just hang out with us…or should I say hang out in his favorite spot in the closet. This boy fascinates me…I can’t wait to figure out what is so fascinating for him in that closet.

I have been drowning in paperwork as I try to finish up Miriam Home evaluations, OT sheets, Visibility boxes, & create an evaluation form for For Jonathan’s Sake so that I can start that process next week. Courtney & I just finished creating Nahum’s job description, making expectations, making him a binder with each child’s OT Goals, treatment plan, & evaluation all in it. He has a detailed schedule of what day he sees each kids so that each kid gets seen 1x a week. Courtney & I are now beginning to develop Presidue and our 2 nurses job descriptions & schedules. Please pray for wisdom & guidance as we do this. A lot of other changes are in the process as well that we would love prayers for wisdom.

This whole week we are having a staff retreat & today we did a SWAT analysis as a mission staff…during that time Courtney & I on the side did one on our Miriam Center programs. A little depressing that we had more weaknesses than strengths in most programs but excited because we have vision for many of these weaknesses & it confirms our need to revamp many of the programs. Please pray for the rest of this week that we are open to learn & open to hear from God.

Deaf Church

This past Sunday we started a Deaf Church. In Haiti Deaf people are not seen…they are not accepted & are not accepted into church. We have an amazing deaf community & were so excited to give them the opportunity to join together in corporate worship. Courtney spent 2 weeks at Deaf Missions in Omaha Nebraska & had the wonderful opportunity of collecting resources for this new ministry. It was a huge success last Sunday with 9 Deaf community members present & 4 Miriam Home Children. We watched 4 sermons & had a time of prayer. The thing that I loved watching the most was how hungry they were for the gospel. I am so excited to see this church grow. Please pray for this new ministry.

Today was week 2 of Deaf Church. Only the deaf teacher showed up this morning because a church in La Pointe was having a special speaker that was going to sign so they all went down there. We still had a great church with 8 of the Miriam Home children attending & watching a children’s deaf sermon after we watched the Adult one. The kids were so engaged & focused. I am so excited that we have videos to share with the children as well  Please keep this new ministry in your prayers.