Hand Therapy Clinic making Splints

The past 2 days have been amazing working in the Hand Clinic with Ann (CHT who came in for 10 day mission trip). It is truly a blessing because I had 3 kids I had to make hand braces for before I left this summer & truthfully I was putting it off because it is beyond my comfort zone & was going to very challenging…FUN…but challenging & with limited resources & amount of splinting material I was afraid of messing up & wasting splinting material. So having Ann here has been truly a blessing.

So we went around to all my kids in the Miriam Home & I told her all the kids that I wanted to have hand braces…In total their were 8 kids & in total 14 different braces. So far we have splinted 5 kids & 10 braces. It has been so much fun & I think we both agree that so much more so with the 2 of us working together & bouncing ideas off of each other. Most of the kids it took 3 people…1 to hold the child, one to hold the hand open & the other to mold the splint. I learned a lot from working with Ann…Ann sketched out all the splints for the kids & got the splinting material ready. Ann said splinting for these children has been really challenging for her because at her clinic at home it is mostly adults & so it is much easier to splint, the splinting material is old so harder to mold, & at home you have pre-fab splints or patterns that work but these kids are each so unique that we had to start from scratch with each. We had a lot of fun being creative & on 4 splints today I even got to use DUCTAPE & loved it!!!!! I was in charge of the ductape piece of the splints. As many of you know I love ductape…it is a necessity for therapy in Haiti…I make wheelchairs out of it, I make bolsters out of it…. I have to say we made some of the coolest splints I have ever seen before today. It was so much fun!

So yesterday there was a child I met in our For Jonathan’s Sake (FSJ) in our high functioning group who was born with congenital amputation of all fingers & toes. We did not get to interact much with him but Stephanie (our special education teacher) had the idea of bringing him back in today so that we could try to make him a splint that could hold different writing utensils so that he could color, write, etc. So we called his mom & she brought him in today. We were amazing to find out as we worked with him that he not only can he hold a crayon but color within the lines, he could hold a pencil & his mom has taught him to write his vowels. He was able to do a stacking activity with small pieces, he could put on & off his shoes, & pretty much so anything we asked him to do, He was able to do with his little stubby fingers & his thumb. He is the happiest kid & very bright. In Haiti many children never get the opportunity to go to school & if you are a child with disabilities it is almost unheard of. It was so exciting to sit down & talk to his mom & tell her he does not need hand braces to help him, to tell her how bright her little boy is & how much potential he had (which she got a look of relief on her face). I was excited to see that his mom has been working with him & she has such a desire for him to learn & has taught him how to count to 11, obviously how to color, & has tried to give him as much as she could. It was so wonderful to tell her how sometime soon we will be able to give him an education through the Luke 2:52 school & to provide her with a little baggie of goodies to take home to continue to work with her son including a dry erase board of Alphabet & number to trace then space to practice, markers, crayons, coloring book, & a pencil. The mom was just so excited. I really felt that no we did not make him a hand brace but we gave him & his mom so much more :-)

I was really sad to see Anne go…she was an amazing hand therapist & I learned so much from her. In total we made 18 splints & got new straps for 3 of the kids that already had splints. We had so much fun taking on this challenge together…many moments of laughter over our use of ductape to make parts of splints & our creativity to make these splints. I have been checking the splints the last 2 days on the kids to make sure no pressure areas & so far so good. The challenge now comes on training my staff how to care for these splints, put them on, developing wearing schedules, & facilitating follow through. Please pray for this aspect.

Trip to Bonneau to the new playground

So pretty much so since I arrived in Haiti a month ago I have been itching to go on a field trip with the kids to the new playground…today was a spur of the moment trip that was AWSOME! Since it has rained so much many of the groups were unable to cross the river over to the orphanage at Salines Mayette or go to the Bay. This left 4-5 groups that needed something to do. We decided to take a trip this morning to the playground. I had the wonderful opportunity to break the news to Den-Den in the hall of the Miriam Center. He proceeded to squeal really loud & try to jump up & down :-) which spread to 2 of my workers running over to find out what’s going on…when they found out we were taking the kids to Bonneau they began screaming & running to tell the other children. We got 18 of the kids ready to head out…all the kids got their shoes on, wheelchair were loaded into the bus, extra diapers were packed, plans to get water on the way through the market were made, the kids were loaded onto the bus with American buddies for each child & the 45 minutes off roading bus trip began. I was almost as excited as the kids to go see & play on the new playground. We arrived & it was a fun adventure getting the kids & their wheelchairs down the massive steep hill to the playground…our land in Bonneau is at the bottom of a very steep hill. THEN THE FUN BEGAN…kids were on the swings…other kids were being help up the ramp to get to the big roller sliding board, other kids were going down other slides…HUGE SMILES, Laughter, Joy was all over. I don’t even know how to express this priceless moment in Words…and internet to slow to upload pictures on video…so patience please & I promise pictures & video will come. A few highlight moments were kenderson going down the roller slide with me holding him upside down which he loved and then swinging with kenderson with him flipping himself upside down while I pumped the swing. That kid cracks me up with how sensory seeking he is. I also loved watching Den-Den climb the stairs up to the side & Moise having a blast playing in the dirt…watching Steven throw himself sideways down the roller slide, & the list could go on & on.

Changes…Frustration…Learning to Trust

Tuesday….
As I sit down to write this blog post my heart is hurting…part of me is angry…frustrated…worried…confused. I want to be able to change a situation that I can’t. I want to play God & make everything better & I just can’t with this one. As I sat with 2 amazing missionary friends I was reminded that I need to let God be God. That I need to TRUST my BIG GOD is really what I just said BIG…I need to trust that He is El Roi the God who sees. I need to surrender & release control…I need to lay my heart, my desire, my will, my problems, my fears, my everything at His feet…I need to lay my burdens down & let him lift them up. I am not ready to talk details about this situation but I do ask for prayers. I ask for wisdom for all involved in making some huge decisions for many programs in the Miriam Center. I ask for peace...ability to surrender…guidance…a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit…and the ability to be the face of Jesus.

“Committ your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” (Psalm 37:5)

Wednesday…
So after some long talks with Courtney, Heather, & lots of prayer over the past 24 hours followed by a 3 hour meeting with Janiel, Courtney, Stephanie & I my heart still is hurting but with great Hope & some huge visions for the Miriam Center that include re-organizing For Jonathan’s Sake completely & narrowing the focus of that program because at this point that program is not thriving & in fact is really plundering if you really look at it as we have it defined now. There is so much potential for this program with some practical changes. One of the practical changes is making FSJ their own space a building that we will be able to run FSJ all day long. The hope is to eventually make each child their own visibility box like what we have been doing for each Miriam Home the past few weeks. We are looking at re-organizing how the Miriam Home runs both staff wise, kids schedules through rotations, & expanding space. We are looking to add an outdoor play area for the kids that the kids can go outside get sun, have an area to run, climb trees, play in a sandbox, have swings, & a place to kick/throw balls around. It will be like a big birdcage without a roof. Then off the back of the Miriam Center we are looking figuring out an area where Nahum can go to do 1:1 therapy with the Miriam Home kids & a place where the Americans can take the kids for 1:1 time to use their visibility boxes. We are having a huge response in the past week of Americans taking advantage of the Visibility boxes. The past 3 days 2x I have gone down & 6-8 boxes were out at a time meaning 6-8 kids were receiving 1:1 time working with a new friend. In order for these visibility boxes to be fully beneficial & used to their full potential we need to find a safe area for the American’s to take the kids to have good 1:1 time.

We also spent a lot of time talking about the new Luke 2:52 school & brainstorming what that is going to look like. We are so blessed to have Stephanie join out Miriam Center team with her special education credentials & experience. I am so excited to get this program up & running. So many of our Miriam Home & For Jonathan Sake children are so eager to learn & have so much potential.

For the new play area & a place for For Jonathan’s Sake we are in need of raising around $20,000 dollars. We are trusting in our BIG God who always provides for our needs. We are so excited for the huge potential these 3 projects bring to improve the quality of care of the kids, allow potential for huge growth physically & mentally as well as make progress toward their educational & therapy goals.

So as you can see above we are on the verge of many huge changes that I believe are going to open up so many new possibilities & potential for these kids. These changes are going to make huge leaps towards making the Invisible…Visible. I covet your prayers as we continue to make many big decisions & implement new strategies over the next few weeks. I ask that you pray for wisdom & guidance for all involved. That we would not run ahead of God but wait patiently on the LORD & his perfect timing. Pray that our staff will have open hearts to all the changes. Most importantly pray that God will be glorified in all we do.

Night of Fun

Most of my day revolved around paperwork but ended with lots of fun activities with the kids. It started with glow in the dark sidewalk chalk that the kids had helped make earlier in the day. After night devotions we went down to the bird cage & the fun began. The kids had a blast scribbling with the chalk. After about 20 minutes we turned the lights off to see the results. A few of the kids wanted to go outside the gates which turned into everyone wanting to which proceeded to lead to a soccer game. It was so much fun to see Den-Den fully engage walking around kicking the soccer ball, Mackinley & Joseph running trying to steal the ball & John, Owens, Joshua, Kem being pushed around in their wheelchairs using their wheels to kick around the balls. We ended this 4th of July by picking 2 of our kids to introduce them to pop-rocks. Our 2 victims…I mean lucky children were Kenderson (very sensory seeking & Autistic) & Moise (sensory Seeker). Kenderson had no response to the Amazing action happening in his mouth except wanting more of it…Moise on the other hand had the best facial expressions that were always followed by a HUGE smile. I can’t wait to slowly introduce all of our children to the Amazing creation of pop-rocks.

Busy few weeks

Hi everyone…I am sorry it has been so long since I have written in my blog or sent an email update. The past few weeks have been extremely busy and once again my plans for the summer changed… Relying on the verse… “For I know the Plans I have for you declares the Lord…” He is El Roi the God who sees…and I don’t know why he keeps changing my plans but I TRUST Him & know His plans are better than mine.

So a little over a week ago I had a meeting with Janeil Owens the executive director of NWHCM whom I work for and the Miriam Center is apart of. I went into the meeting just to discuss my vision & plans for the Miriam Center, my plans for the summer, & to just make sure we were on the same page. We had an amazing 3 hour conversation that lead to great brainstorming & a new plan of what my summer will look like. A plan that we feel will have greater follow through & sustainability throughout the years to come.

So as we were talking through things…we realized the most important thing for me to focus on this summer is a plan that will enable the Miriam Home Children to receive therapy/educational play throughout the year. I had started working on this by training Nahum who is going to be our OT for the Miriam Home but I have been having some difficulties with follow through on what I am asking & following a schedule. And truthfully 1 person trying to do therapy on 32 kids that all need therapy multiple times a week just is not feasible. So Janiel & I came up a plan that will incorporate my workers purposefully playing with the kids all throughout the day which consequently means working on their goals and setting up individual children box’s that will allow Americans who come in for a short-term trips to pull a box with the kids name, picture, biography, most appropriate positioning, there goals, & a variety of toys to help meet those goals all in one place. This enables a non-skilled person to now engage a child in purposeful play. It breaks down the barrier of I don’t know how to engage a child or how to play with a child down in the Miriam Center…I don’t know how to position them…All these barriers will be broken which will result in more Americans coming to play with the kids. This also allows the workers to have 1:1 time with kids & pull boxes as well. This has been my big project of the week. It is almost completely finished & ready to have its trial run later this week. I am so excited. We are also looking at expanding out the back of the current Miriam Center where there will be a big version of the current bird cage that will allow a space for these 1:1 to occur.

We have set up a rotation for the workers based off the rotation Courtney’s mom & Amelia set up during her 3 months here in Haiti. The kids have “mom’s” that travel with them through 3 rotations throughout the day. This makes sure the kids get moved & repositioned & get to spend an hour & half in 3 different environments. What I added to this rotation was that I made bins of appropriate toys for each group that will be dropped during each rotation & next week plan on going in & teaching the workers how to purposefully play with the kids to help each child grow & make progress toward their goals. So often only when American groups come in do the kids get to do fun activities & the workers sit back & watch. I feel like so often they watch the fun then have to clean up after it. I wanted to make it so that it is the “mom’s” who get to do fun activities & through this I believe deeper boding with the kids will happen & I pray a new excitement to work with the kids will also surface.

From previous blogs & emails you know that God changed my plans & really gave me a heart & vision for For Jonathan’s Sake (FSJ) this summer. I have been working on writing a Bible Study on the names of Christ to share with the parents to help them love God more & in return love their children more. Well…during my discussion with Janeil it was clear that I really needed to focus on getting the toy bins for the kids & training of the workers grounded so that all throughout the year the Miriam Center children will be progressing towards their goals. I am still going to run FSJ everyday but have decided not to make each an individualized home treatment plan as was my originally plan. I will still run Bible Study & teach the parents positioning & stretching. I will be providing the parents with a handout on stretching & teaching them how to stretch their kids everyday. I will also be sending them home with a plastic mat that they can lay their child on to get them out of the dirt as well as a homemade bolster out of big cans to allow them to position their children on their stomachs. At first my heart ached because I was not doing as much for this program as I wanted to but through other people God showed me that this is huge! Over the next year if they stretch their kids everyday, their kids are not lying in the dirt, & they can position their children on their stomachs that this is a lot. Also, I have set up a toy drop where one day a week they will have access to toys even when I am not here.

So here is my analogy of what we are doing with the Miriam Center. It is like building a DELICIOUS Sandwich. The last 3 years we have spent creating the “bread” for the Miriam Home and this summer we are filling our sandwich with the meat. Over the rest of this year we will be adding condiments like special education (Stephanie) and OT (Naham) and PT (Presidue). It is really excited to think of how DELICIOUS this sandwich is going to be. I have to be alright with right now that we are still at the bread stage of For Jonathan’s Sake & next year the goal is to lay the meat which looks like individual boxes for each kid that the parents come in & can pull their box to work with there child…pretty much so the system we just set up for Miriam Home children. So over the next year my goal will be to raise money & buy the supplies to form these boxes.

My role when I am not in Haiti will continue to be writing therapy companies for donation, going around speaking & sharing what God is doing here, & learning new therapy techniques to bring into Haiti. This year it looks like I am really going to focus on being in contact with group prior to them coming into Haiti. I want to set up with groups ahead of time & help them plan what their interaction with the Miriam center will look like. I want to give them specific kids that our “their groups” kids for the time they are here & send the kids bio ahead of time & have them begin praying for those children. I want to explain the boxes. I also want to give them a list of big group activities they could do with the Miriam Home children & have them plan for that. So if they want to do shaving cream parties they will prepare like they do for VBS & bring in the supplies. I also want to encourage groups to do VBS’s with the Miriam Home children. I am really excited to see what my role will look like in the states but really feel that God is going to use me while I wait to be full time in Haiti.
Stephanie our special education teacher has arrived & has been busy helping with the projects & we have been setting up the Luke 2:52 school which has been quite the job but extremely exciting as well.

Today we have been busy finishing everything up as Courtney has arrived back Home in Haiti. It was so fun to see the children prepare. They made a sign that said welcome Home with drawing of the sign language to spell Courtney’s name. Ju-Ju & Den helped me make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies which was a blast. I have a whole new picture of licking the bowl…lol They both after helping push each cookie dough off would lick their fingers & then re sanitize their fingers before the next one….It was a blast. Then this evening we had movie night & cookies. It was so nice to take the day to finally be with the kids. The past week & a half has been full of work & not so much play. The next 3 days till the next group comes in is all play with the kids…..AND I am super-duper pumped.

One of my highlights today as well was that Janeil & the male interns came down to test out my box system for the kids & it was such a joy to see them interact with the kids & have fun!!!! I am so excited about the box system.

So of course, since I haven’t written in a week I have left a lot out BUT quick overview…Plans have changed again…lots of new plans came about…many have already been implemented…God is BIG!!! YUP! EXCITED!

Thank you for all your prayers & support & I will get back on blogging every other day. Sorry for the big lapse.

Busy few days

The past few days have been pretty good…not too eventful as I have really been focusing in on the paperwork aspect & finishing up performing evaluations. It is Sunday night & I did not get quite as much as I was hoping done but still A LOT. I am back on schedule at least.

I have finished performing 11 out of 13 OT evaluations that still needed performed. All 30 have been typed into the computer. 27 have treatment plans written for them and 15 have the picture evaluation sheets completed. God really blessed me with sending a mother who is here on a short-term trip. Her daughter & her came back from a trip early due to her daughter being sick. She typed about 7 hours worth of paperwork including 10 out of 20 PT evaluations that needed typed into the computer. Needless to say I feel like I am in a pretty good place to be starting this coming week.

The plan for this week is for Naham to take the picture evaluation sheets & start doing treatment on the kids. I will watch & teach as he goes. I will also at this time give him more ideas for activities. His homework this weekend was brainstorming 10 activities for hand strengthening, 10 for bilateral hand coordination, 10 fine motor activity ideas, etc. I am excited to see what he comes back with.

Last night I had a movie night with the kids. We watched an Elmo movie which was fun. It was nice since I did not see the kids much at all yesterday since I did 7 hours of paperwork in the office.

Today was a much needed relaxing day to rest & be in the presence of God. I slept in till 9ish…well got up at 6 went down stairs because didn’t think I could go back to sleep & put some music on & laid on Courtney’s bed. Next thing I know I was asleep & woke up at 9. I went to Church across the street at the mission & an American Pastor spoke on God’s will in suffering & talked about job’s life. I came back & ate lunch followed by watching a Louie Giglio video on GRACE. I typed about 4-5 treatment plans before we had staff Bible study. We started a 6 week Bible study series by Andy Stanley on Satan & his workings. It is really good & makes you really think! It is called Twisting the truth. Today was all about how Satan is the Father of Lies & a murder from the beginning & he rules through deception. Really good to remember that Satan is active…He is out to destroy us. Ate dinner then we had evening devotions & worship up in the new chapel on the roof. It was a wonderful time of worship followed by Shawn King sharing a talk on MERCY. It was a wonderful day.

Sorry this is short & a little choppy. I know I left lots out from the last 3 days but I am drawing a blank. Thank you for your prayers. I do ask that you continue to pray for me as I train Naham. That God would give me the words to say & show me what to teach & how to teach. Pray for God to continue to progress each of the Miriam center children in their therapy goals. Pray that I would be completely surrendered to HIS will & allow Him to be my guide everyday. I want to be Christ hands, feet, & face to all I come in contact with here in Haiti. Pray for peace for me as there are a few things weighing heavy on my heart right now that I would be able to surrender them to God & trust fully in His perfect timing & plan!

Blown Away AND Full of JOY!

Tried to come up with words to describe the past 2 days…all I could come up that sums my past 2 days up in 1 sentence is “Blown Away AND Full of Joy.” I have had 3 specific moments in the last 2 days I never thought I would see or would be/have been years in coming.

First- Den-Den Kicking a soccer ball
Many of you know the miracle story of Den-Den starting to walk 3 months ago. For those of you who don’t know. Den-Den is one of the older higher functioning boys in the Miriam Center. He is the most determined boy I have ever met. When he sets his mind on doing something…he does it. He has Ataxic quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. Basically He had limited control over any of his limbs. When I first started out working with Den-Den years ago he had very little control of his hands so he used his mouth & toes to color & paint. He soon realized He was different & wanted to use his hands…so we made Den-Den special crayons (really big)…He was so excited…but soon realized others used little crayons & he wanted to do the same…somehow he figured out how to hold his body so that he could color with little crayons. Last summer we got AFO’s (braces to help kids walk). Den-Den did not get any and was upset…he kept trying to stuff his foot into a little baby AFO he found lying around. That afternoon we had a meeting with our workers and one asked if Den-Den would ever walk & we said no…He overheard & was crushed…he began crying. He set out to prove us wrong. Before I left last summer he had figured out how to stand up & prop himself against the wall. Before I left I sat him down & said Den-Den I expect you to be walking when I come back next summer. That little boy set out practicing and about 4 months ago I got a video of Den-Den taking his first steps without any support…no walker…no braces. MIRACLE. He had managed to figure out how to hold his body & muscles to be able to walk. Thinking about it I tear up. Well yesterday Den-Den saw some Deaf kids playing soccer and decided He wanted to play. I was busy in working in the treatment room & he yelled to get my attention & told me he wanted a ball. I went & got him a little textured ball and he said no. He walked right into the room straight to the soccer ball in the corner turned around & started kicking it across the room!!!! WHAT!!! I couldn’t believe my eye. That boy hasn’t stop asking for that ball the past 2 days is kick around that soccer ball. He is getting so good. Wish the internet was fast enough to post video & pics but when I get back to the states I will post 

Second- Gildean sitting Independently for 5 minutes 3x
We have a new girl in the Miriam Home that came a few months ago. She is super low tone has poor trunk control & I thought poor head control till today. She is also fully blind. I had the opportunity to work one on one with her today & evaluate her. I used tons of vibration with her (all stuff I was able to carry in this summer). I started out with the vibrating bolster have her lay over it…having her sit with it on her lap leaning over it…then I started rubbing the vibrating frog down her back…gave her the vibrating Vibe critter for her mouth & hands. After about 20 minutes of vibration. I sat her on the floor & wrapped the vibrating snake around her waste. I slowly backed my hands away and she sat independently. Not only that she was moving her hands around & being very curious. A little bit later I took her out to the platform swing & sat so her feet were hanging over touching the floor. She was able to sit on the edge of the swing independently as well. This was such a priceless moment & I am so excited for the new opportunities this skill of sitting opens up for her!

Third- Walden & kem using switches to play the switch adapted game Lucky Ducks
So yesterday has been a moment that has been years in coming for me. Walden & Kem are 2 of my brightest kids but they are trapped inside their bodies. Both have spastic quadriplegic Cerebral palsy. Walden has no functional use of either his upper or lower extremities due to increased tone. I have been trying for years to figure out how to make it so Walden could interact with toys. This past year I have working really hard & learning about different assistive technology I could get to help him. Last summer I brought 1 switch in & adapted 2 batter operated toys. This worked for Kem but not for Walden. Kem has functional use of 1 of her arms & is able to activate the big switch. This summer I brought in 4 different switches. One I bought specifically for Walden called a grip in puff…it can work by squeezing down on it in palm or blowing in straw placed in mouth…Really thought this would work & was very disappointed when it didn’t work. I had ordered this one switch on accident thought it was a different on…or worked different. Well this is the switch that I was able to adapt to attach to Walden’s head where when he pushes his head against his wheelchair it makes the toys go. It was amazing to see the Joy & excitement. The most precious moment though was when I set up their wheelchairs next to each other at a table. I switch adapted lucky ducks so that they could play together. I would switch the cord so they could take turns making the ducks go around. When they stopped Kem would pick up a duck and when it was her turn look at the color underneath…when it was Walden’s turn it to show him. It was a priceless moment. So excited to see all the potential this door opens up for Walden.


Other Fun the past 2 days
This morning was a super fun morning. It started out at 9:00 with a music party down in the Miriam center with one of the American Groups. We all went out into the bird cage & I pulled out all the instruments & I brought the guitar down & we had so much fun. We sang songs, danced & had a really joyous moment. This was followed directly by train rides. This kids heard the four wheeler coming up & knew what was happening. They got so excited & all started screaming in excitement. For those of you who don’t know we have a train made out of 50 gallon barrels that have been turned into train carts with wheels attached & a steering wheel in each. We hook them all together then to a 4 wheeler where the fun begins. The kids had so much fun & so many smiles were had & joy was just overflowing. I had so much fun as I got to sit on the back of the four-wheeler & switch out holding all the low functioning kids & babies. My favorite moment was probably Isaac was sitting next to me on the back of the 4-wheeler screaming in Joy the for a good 20 minutes & everytime he screamed I screamed with him & then we would laugh & scream…laugh & scream. The other one was Kem…I would tilt her & over exaggerate the bumps & she would laugh & left. I also always love watching the older higher functioning kids sit with the younger ones & make sure they stay in the cart. I have to say train is one my favorite activities with the kids. Once again wish I could post video & pictures.

Exciting God Incidences…
1. As many of you know I like to go for walks in the afternoon as this is usually my only time to get off campus and into the streets of Haiti & it is a great stress reliever…time to refocus/think. Well for the first time yesterday I went on a walk with Heather Owens & her kids. It was so much fun & enjoyable. I just love watching her kids & seeing them interact with each others & the Hatians we passed. When we got back to the compound I was talking about the 2 shaving cream parties we have had at the Miriam center in the last week. She said next time I have one let her know because her daughter Ruby LOVES shaving cream & anything messy. I told her she sounds like a sensory seeking child. This lead to a long conversation that has lead to my being able to meet a need their family has which is to help them with their daughter’s sensory issues. It is amazing how God placed me here to meet that need after I have spent the last year growing my knowledge & understanding of sensory & this is a high interest area for me. I love helping others better understand sensory.

2. So as many of you know it is HOT in Haiti…but you may not know that recently it has been hotter than normal for this time of year…IT IS HOT. Luckily right now Courtney is not here so I have been using her Ryobi fan at night. I was gonna be sad to give it up when she got back (though excited for Courtney to come back & to dance beside her here in Haiti). Well this one family overheard me talking about the fan with a friend & how I was going to email a group coming in to see if they would buy one & bring it in & I could pay them back. Tonight they left me their fan and their last name was Marshall which was written in permanent marker…they said it was just perfect they wouldn’t even have to cross it off and had added my first name on top  It truly was a blessing.

So yes…I am Blown Away AND Full of Joy as I look back over the past few days. I know I am right where God wants me & so thankful He has chosen to use me & allowed me to see all this progress… In 2 days!!!! Excited to see what the rest of the summer has to hold!