home. . .

thursday around 10:30 i arrived back in kansas city.

i had been delayed in miami and ended up spending the night in dallas.

i had a great hotel room that i was only able to enjoy for about 5 hours before i got back up to catch my early morning flight home.

thanks for your prayers!

life. . .

i feel like i am constantly challenged here in haiti to realize the true value of life.  

there are so many times when we value lives that are perfect, people who are beautiful, successful, impressive.

the first week i was here nicole, (the mother i have shared about who came from so far away and was in congestive heart failure) came here with her little nine month old son.  they were both so sick, from my perspective, i wasn't sure either of them would live.  last night they went back to their home in leogone, both in good health.  i have to say the first day i saw them i thought perhaps we would provide comfort measures to help them in their last days of life, but God had different plans.

as i write this i have a little one right beside me.  she was brought to us yesterday.  her mother had her on saturday and then died.  her father brought her because there was no way he could care for her.  she is 3 lbs. 2 oz.  she doesn't have hands or feet and her little tongue is stuck to the bottom of her mouth.  who knows what she has going on internally.  her father didn't want to keep her, he wanted us to take care of her.  i don't know that we will do more than provide comfort measures and love her over the next few days of her life, or if God has something else in store, but i do know that it isn't for me to decide.  her name is naomi.

little ones like naomi challenge me to look again at what i value in life.

team awesome!

this morning around 4:30, the rest of "team awesome" left. (yes, that is what my friends who were here from kansas city decided to call themselves.)  it was such a great time to have friends from church and work here over the last two weeks.  thanks for coming guys!  you brought so many smiles and laughs.  

the meshing of my two worlds was a bit crazy.  really though, that is what i want to do, bring two completely different realities together.  bringing the positives of both cultures and places to the other.  i want people to see and know what life is like for those who live here in haiti, how they can do so little and make a huge difference.  in contrast i think haiti also shows beauty and peace that comes along with simplicity and i know so many people come here and leave having been blessed and learned lessons far beyond what they imagined.