Oh Glorious Day!

I'm not like John...I can only "blog" when I am so filled that something has to spill out and hopefully that is fulfilling what the Word speaks of in Revelation when it says that Satan is defeated by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony.

Today is one of those days for me.  A day when life is so real and so right that in spite of anything and everything; the peace and joy of the Lord is totally consuming and you feel more alive in the moment you lay your head down and thank God that you are who he created you to be and doing what he's created you to do...THEN, you grab a computer and share it because just as in Acts 4:20 "you can not stop speaking about what you have seen and heard."

This was our day.  I woke up to my baby boy Jordan wanting a cartoon, went and found a computer that still had "charge" from the night before and our average four hours of electricity and put on a cartoon.  Then, I headed down to the kitchen to begin preparing breakfast for our family (of 19-us, 15 children, our brother and interpreter Johnny, Jessica our nanny).  When finished with breakfast we had family morning devotions which were incredible as Jocelyn (one of our students that wants to be a pastor) led the worship and prayer!  John brought an awesome Word out of Philipians and then John and I headed up for our daily meeting and prayer time.  We were wrapping up when Terah came in and said, "a team is here."  So, I headed down and gave a tour of The House of Moses to a great group of youth that was led by Hickory (a previous Summer intern from NWHCM).  We had an awesome time of prayer and they headed to the mission for lunch.  While on the tour they got to see our kids doing their responsibilities and chores (even Terah who was doing laundry and yes, our laundry is by hand as we don't have enough electricity to run a wash machine).  John has to leave for his discipleship meeting with Johnny, and Jocelyn leaves to pursue some legal registration of his birth certificate in Port au Paix AND lead prayer and devotion at the prison for Magdalla who couldn't make it today.  *Side note: His brother is in the prison and he came home BEAMING because he got to have time with him and be a testimony and example to his brother and the other prisoners!  

     By this time our beautiful sister and cook had arrived to prepare lunch, also a "brother" of our kids from Salines Mayette orphanage arrived to visit.  We told the kids that their friends and family couldn't come until after their end of year exams.  They finished yesterday-LOL!  They didn't waste any time.  So, we have an extra son for a bit and I pray that his time her is absolutely a hug from Jesus!  As I was sharing with the group and introducing our leaders in the home; I look over to see a few of our kids heading John's challenge from the previous night's devotion to reach out to the neighbors and invest in the lives around them and before them daily.  My heart smiled.

We put on some worship music throughout our home and it's "Le pou priye pou manje."  Time to pray for lunch.  We pray together - we eat together.

     Then, I head to the mission to take care of TONS of U.S. business and HoM accounting that I need to get done...which I worked hard and got a lot done but lost electricity before I could finish! ;-(  As I'm walking the kids along the way no longer call me Blanc, they call me Madam Paste John or Madam Christi and I LOVE this because we own a relationship with one another.  At the mission I also get to visit with many friends and loved ones that we miss and pray for, have a great conversation about how what we believe is not what we say but what we do as we listen to dear interns so we know how to partner in prayer for them and tell some Americans short term missions teams bye as they head back to the States- then we head home.  On the way home we come across our kids teacher grading their final Biology exam.  I greet the teacher and get to see and bring home their grades!!!  It was an honor hear that they are a joy to have in class, always respectful and all great students (I knew this already but it was great to hear!)  For the most part, they all did good BUT Fedner Severe got the highest score in the class 18/20!  

     When I get home, John is on the porch playing cards with the kids and we laugh as a family.  John leaves for a meeting at NWHCM and Michlaie and Elaie from La Baie come over to the house!  Woo Hoo- they help us put up our new basketball goal as a family (which was VERY exciting!) and then we sit back and enjoy the 3 on 3 games going on at the House of Moses.  John comes home and joins in awing at the new court and then another haitian friend Sarimone stops by for a visit.  Mislene and I make Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Dinner is a wonderful time of sharing and community as a family and then I was blessed to see Jessica serving Johnny to help with dishes (which is no small task in this household).  A bit later, a German doctor friend from the community who works for an Austrian NGO comes to visit.  He is leaving Haiti and wants to know if we are going to buy his inverter and batteries for the house.  We tell him we don't have the funds right now though we need them and would love to and he stays to tour the house and visit.  He is an unbeliever and he stays for evening worship and devotionals!  We always have a house full during this time and it was sweet.  Even with our brothers from LaBaie there was lots of food left over after dinner and there are too many hungry mouths in Haiti to waste good food.  So, we walk down the road to one of our sisters houses and ask if they would like the food.  It's the end of the month and she doesn't get paid until the first of the month.  She, her elderly mother and her daughter's walk with us to the house and get the food.  She says that he babies were crying right before because they were hungry and Jesus answered her prayers.  We pray together and the family leaves blessed.  Even our sons were filled as they said, "That was really good mom."  I watched them walk down the dark road and said yes, it's incredible that when we were making food tonight God knew it was for their family too and he provided."  I was filled by this thought of the love of the Father and then from the upstairs porch Jordan and Ava yell, "Mommy, Come sing to us."  I go up where they are sleeping on a palet under a mosquito net because it's cooler on the porch than it is in the house and sing with them.  They are so filled as they giggle and love their "tent."  They go to sleep and John and I bask in the day.

  I walk through the house to get beds ready for Michlaie, Elaie and T-Fran (our new temporary kid) for the night and their is peaceful fellowship going on throughout the house from kids talking on the porch to neighborhood friends, girls watching a movie on the computer, boys playing futbol games and a crowd watching the fun... Wow, thank you Lord.  My husband is working on the computer and stops to tell me about a sermon he listened to last night from Frances Chan. He said his wife was talking about a mission trip he was going on to China for three months and how so many people were commenting about what a sacrifice it was and about how they lived.  Her response was that I was reading in Acts and there is nothing wonderful about how we live, in fact this is just what following Jesus looks like.  He lovingly says to me, there is nothing special about us or our life-we just read the Bible and follow.  I am so in love with this man.

    I join Terah and the girls to watch another movie.  The generator goes off, I still need a bath but I have no words to tell how blessed, alive, and a part of God's kingdom I feel.  Gonna go now because I have a beautiful house of 21 lives that Jesus has provided food for me to prepare for them in the morning.  When, if it's His will, the Sun will rise and declare his glory...and His mercies will be made new.  Thank you Jesus. Mesi Jezi.    Bon Nwit (Good night!)