Pictures....

Here is the website all the pictures will be posted on from here on out. and it goes by the dates for each day.

http://nwhcm.smugmug.com/Trip%20Photos

The rest of today has been exciting, We moved about 15 boxes and trunks down into the new building and I spent 3.5 hours sorting through and categorizing all the amazing supplies into Bible lesson material, FM, GM, Language, sensory, Music, Books, Movies, Educational play, ect. Some of the favorite things I found were a big pool, a big trampoline with safety poles, a big hefty duty wagon, so many textures toys and building toys. I had a lot of fun. Tomorrow we will be moving more stuff into the room and continuing sorting and categorizing stuff. We have a lot of work to do....I do want to start taking a few hours a day to be with the kids though, because I have not got to do that yet, but I also know that my talents are needed for the planning and organizing and creating everything so when I leave other groups can pick up and keep this program running. 

overwhelmed with Exitement

So yesterday and today has felt like a dream...In the morning yesterday we finished up our training and I worked on finishing up my file folder games on every break and relamenating some of the stuff because I cut them too close and in the humidity they started curling. 

In the afternoon courtney and I began planning a detailed schedule that the Miriam Center will be run off of. It detailed enough that at any time during the day someone could walk in and know what they can do. It is going to be very organized with all the enormous amount of educational toys, craft supplies and therapy supplies :) will be organized in sections so that they can look at the schedule see FM skills is on for 10:00 am they can go to the closet and there will be a binder with all the FM activities and they can just pick one and get the supplies. It is going to be awsome. So I was so excited about this...

Courtney and I then went to look at the property we are going to build the new Miriam center on to one side of the mission and was planning where to build it, where to put the playground...where are apartments were going to go :) just dreaming....Then we saw the wood crates they ship supplies in on the boat and she decided during here meeting with Janeil she was going ask if we could have one because we have so many ideas for it for the sensory/PT/OT room we are making. WE are going to put a different activity on every wall on the outside and on the inside put lights on the ceiling and paint the walls fun colors and put mirrors inside and put cushions on the floor. It is going to be sweet. 

Well, in celebration of finishing training we drove 30 min to get some ice cream...it tasted so good. I thought the day could not get any better...well, I was wrong

When I got back Courtney had been meeting with Janiel for 2 hours already talking about Miriam Center stuff. I jumped in on the conversation. I learned that the Miriam center is not longer in debt and there is no way it is going to be closed. In fact there is a organization that is willing to match up to 50,000 dollars which a church already said they would donate. so instead of building the new building we may wait and Janeil the executive director wants to build a million dollar facility it will probably be its on mission a break off of this one that is a huge orphanage for disabled children. The only one in Haiti and would hold up to 100 kids. The exciting thing is the new program For Jonathans Sake which the parents bring the kids in and get 2 meals a day and therapy and educational play and learn to take care of there kids. This is sooooooooooo exciting because at the new facility we would still have this new program so actually this facility would probably help 200 kids. This is a big dream that is totally possible. We are starting to look for property to build starting today. 

We will no longer build the building we were planning on building. we are moving starting today into the old birthing center which triples our space. WE went down last night with Janeil and looked at the structure of the building. We planned out what wall we will knock out and where the halls will be, ect. IT was sooooooo exciting. Usually around the mission it takes a while to get a project started but Janeil is so excited with us about this me and courtney are going to pick out paint today and we have a group coming in today which hopefully some of them will want to do construction and we could start as soon as tomorrow. This new building triples the space we have to work with. It is going to have a therapy/SI room, feeding room with special seating, a play/education room, we have a pool to put up and 2 sleeping room. The goal is to make these kids as independent as possible and so we got them new big kid beds so they are not in cribs, we are planning to give them each a cube of drawers for there own stuff, set up routines.....ahhhhhh I am soooooo excited. 

The goal they have for me is to set up the schedule, get the therapy room/SI room done and we want to organize all the toys and supplies that came in because on the next boat we have a lot of big therapy supplies coming in like a huge foam playground with slide and all, a foam cylinder, all the handicap feeding chairs and tables, ect. I am sad I will not be here to get everything set up because that is my nook :( but placement calls....if I could change it don't think I have not thought about it...lol...

so my first night here for devotions someone read from the book "The Dream Giver" it spoke to me and I asked to borrow it and read it. The book starts out with a parable about a Nobody named Ordinary who lived in the Land of Familiar and a Dream that the Dream Giver (God) gave him. so the following is a quote from the book that really sums up how I feel.

"ordinary's longing for his Big Dream grew and grew until finally he realized that he'd never be happy unless he could pursue it. Why didn't the Dream Giver make it possible? If the Dream Giver didn't, how could ordinary ever leave familiar. He had payments and expenses. He had regular duties. A lot of Nobodies counted on him for a of things. Ordinary felt completely stuck."

so please pray for me as I have so much going through my mind...God has given me a dream for Haiti and I want to pursue it but how is the question...

Pictures

Here is a link to some photos....there will be photos posted daily of what is going on at the mission so feel free to check them out any time. Chances are I will not be able to post too many because of how long it takes 

http://nwhcm.smugmug.com/Trip%20Photos/801953 

I'm Here

Hi everyone! sorry I did not post sooner the internet has been down at the mission.

I had a good but long trip into Haiti. I met up with 6 other interns in Miami and we all flew into Port A Prince together. We stayed over night in a really nice hotel that had a pool with a lil waterfall in it and the rooms had air condition :) I did not feel like I was in Haiti. In the morning we took a small plane to Port a Pey and then took a tap tap the rest of the way to the mission. WE got to the mission around 10 AM. We were all surprised how quickly we made it.  

The first thing I did was go down and see my kids :) It is so exciting to see what Courtney has already done down there. My heart jumped for joy when I went down and saw the kids being played with and they had educational toys to play with. The walls are painted and it is so kid friendly. Also the kids no longer are sleeping in cribs they have big kid beds :) this is so exciting. God is doing some amazing things in this area.

For those of you who do not know. There are alot of changes happening at the mission this summer especially with the special needs kids. There are now going to be 4 programs for these children. One program is a residential home for 14 disabled children (the old heaven's waiting room now called the miriam home), then there is a feeding program for community disabled children. They will be given 2 meals a day along with their caregiver. The third program will provide therapy and educational play for these community disabled children. The fourth program is called Rous corner and it is for terminal babies to die in peace. These programs are my baby for the summer. I have done a lot of planning and will be helping courtney set up a schedule for these kids and therapy programs. A church just donated around 100 educational toys thousands of dollars worth which is such a blessing so me and courtney are going to be working on organizing all the toys and building some different equiptment. 

All the interns are very nice. The first 4 days here at the mission is staff training. Yesterday I learned a lot about the mission and in more detail I learned all the different programs. 

A few minutes ago I just got back from walking to the waterfall a 6 hour walk but we took a truck part way so it was only 4 hours of walking. It is so beautiful and it is really nice to walk and hold kids hands and pray over them while I walk. I climbed up a little bit of the waterfall and climbed some of the rocks with the kids (MOM I was safe...I opted not to jump off rocks into the fall :) We had some quiet time at the falls to read and pray but it was kinda hard with 5 or 6 kids leaning over you and sitting on you :) My favorite part of the day so far was on the way back I was holding the hands of 2 girls and I sang christian songs to them and then they would sing to me. 

It is so great to be back in HAiti I so wish I could stay all summer, they were trying to convince me but there is no way, but I am soooooooo excited for the month God has blessed me with to be Here. 

Thank you for all your prayers :) I can feel them!

I took lots of pictures at the waterfall hopefully soon I will post them.

every few days pictures will be posted on the mission website under the date the website is www.nwhcm.org if you want to check it out. 

YIPEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Well, it is finally here time for me to go. Dad and Pastor Doug are taking me up to the airport. I fly out of Clevland to Chigago...Chigaco to Miami....Miami to Port A Prince where I will spend the night....then Port A Prince to Port a Pey....Then Tap Tap ride to the Mission in St. Louis Da Nord. I can't believe the day is finally here I am soooooooooo excited :) Thank you for all your prayers!

2.5 days.....

Well, God has been so faithful the past few days. I have been trusting God that the he would provide for my financial needs, I still had not received enough support money to cover my ticket as of yesterday but Dad informed me last night that I received a check that would cover the rest of my trip :) Thank you everyone who made this trip possible for me. I made the comment I knew he was faithful and would cover it but God I sure need some help with these bags and everything fitting and everything being under weight.

Well, He has and is being faithful in this area to. Cara ended up being able to take a few things with her and I got an opportunity to talk to Courtney who just arrived in Haiti a few days ago. She just happened to be on facebook and we could IM this afternoon. She told me things I could take out that were already at the mission to open up some more room. Then while we were talking the CRATE CAME IN!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!! what a blessing. This crate has tons of supplies for Heaven's Waiting Room on it. We also got a bunch of educaitonal toys and new cribs and beds for the kids. It was so exciting!!!! I can't wait to go and help her unpack and organize and then get to using the stuff!

As many of you know I love listening to christian Music because so often the lyrics are so amazing and they are full of truth. This morning as I was driving to meet Julie and the rest of the Bridal party and some of her family for breakfast before we set up the hall for the reception tomorrow night I heard one of my favorite songs...I Want To Set The World on Fire. This song is the prayer of my heart and this past year especially....

I wanna set the world on fire

Until it`s burning bright for You

It`s everything that I desire

Can I be the one You use?
I, I am small but

You, You are big enough

I, I am weak but

You, You are strong enough to

Take my dreams

Come and give them wings

Lord with You

There`s nothing I can not do

Nothing I cannot do

I wanna feed the hungry children

And reach across the farthest land

And tell the broken there is healing

And mercy in the Father`s hands

My hands my feet

My everything

My life, my love

Lord, use me

I wanna set the world on fire

I wanna set the world on fire, yeah
I`m gonna set the world on fire

Set the world on fire

6 Days....

Wow, I can't believe it, only 6 days and I will be on a plane to Haiti. The past 2 weeks have been crazy busy with getting things together for Haiti. I've been hard at work making 13 different file folder games, spray painting clothespins and old plastic bottles and containers for different activities, making textured alphabet and number cards, Printing and making PEC communication cards, making an activity file and a music file. Mom has been busy sewing my sensory blanket together and making me a dressing bag full of buttons, zippers, and snaps. So the kids can learn to be as independent as possible in dressing

The most challenging thing is fitting everything I need into 2 suitcases that weigh 100lbs combined. I spent 5 hours last thursday trying to accomplish this and finally did but shortly after realized I had not put anything in for me including clothes, sheets, towel, ect. I am going to tackel this again next thursday we will see how that goes.

I had the wonderful opportunity to give a little presentation at New Castle Christian Acadamy NCCA last Wed morning. It was so awsome the kids collected all kinds of toys and supplies I had in my support letter for me to take over to the kids in HAiti. NCCA has a special place in my heart as that is where I went from 2nd-8th grade. I truly believe that is where a got a big part of my foundation in Christ from. Tomorrow I have another wonderful opportunity of going and giving a presentation at Mrs. C church. God has really been opening up doors for me to go out and get the word out of the great and marvelous things he is up to in HAiti and especially with the children of Heaven's Waiting Room

This summer I am going to have a crazy schedule but I feel like I can make a huge different in these childrens lives. I will be working with Courtney to try and get a new program for the disabled children up and running. We will be providing FM activities, GM activities, Arts and Crafts, Music, work on feeding and dressing skills, Language/communication, and doing stretching and therapy everyday. The thing I am most excited about is that every night we are going to do a group activity. This is we will have an activity that the groups that come into the mission will have an opportunity to interact with these kids and understand them better and how to interact with them. This is huge since many groups do not go down to Heaven's Watiting Room out of fear of not knowing how to interact with them.

Please keep me in your prayers as I continue to prepare myself spiritually, mentally, and physically for this trip. Pray that I can pour of love and compassion on the people in Haiti. Pray that I can be a vessel God can use over there.

Thank you All for all your prayers and Support. I love you all!