there are numerous reasons that I knew I was supposed to be in Haiti that week

that very week.

I wrote this before I left and scheduled the post to post on 1/11/11

On the few days leading up to the 11th

I said those words over and over in my head

“God, in his infinite wisdom, knew exactly where I would be this day”

and the reason I’m saying all this is I want you know how amazing God is.

like, really amazing.

In the midst of everything we go through in this human life

God is so so good, all the time.

**

on 1/11/11

my due date

a beautiful little girl, Mylove, was born

in our small clinic in the hills of Haiti,

in a small cement room

in an infinitely better situation than she would have had if we weren’t there.

and God, in all his knowledge, knew my fragility that day

allowing me to be there during her labor and then after

but as Mylove was being born,

in that moment,

I was walking through the hills of Haiti with kids draped all over me.

Bondye bon tout tan (God is good, all the time)

sometimes doctors save lives.

they use their God given talents, their education, their resources

and they save lives.

but this time

letting him sit in your lap and laying a hand on his little shoulder and praying

is all you can do.

Amongst the medicines, the needles, the bandages,

prayer.is.all.you.have.

and you’re praying so hard

that his suffering won’t be hard,

(because this life of his is so hard already. it doesn’t really seem fair.)

and that he’ll know, that his parents will know, that even in his little life

he touched people.

He touched us.

For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes 1:18

(I’m not really sure what exactly was wrong with this little boy but I do know that the doctors and everyone took time to gather around him before he left and pray. And it was powerful. and heartbreaking.)

Completely different from Port au Prince

is the village life of Haiti

its slower, takes its time

lets you breathe it in

and, at the same time, takes your breath away.

this was a church and school, its now a complete lost and will have to be torn down.

this is where they meet now for church, this is set up on the site where a 3 story orphanage once stood.  It collapsed in the earthquake and they have since cleared it, using the crumbled concrete to create a road into the village so now you can drive in rather than walk from the main road.

If you travel about 2 hours outside of Port au Prince

and stop along side the road at a seemingly random spot

get out and cross the road to find a path

(a rocky path that makes you wonder how they walk over it barefoot)

and you walk for about a half mile

you come across several little one room houses

and you meet this man

who looks to be older than he probably really is

who has a cleft palette but whose smile will brighten the darkest day

and his love for life?

well, its contagious.

**

and he makes baskets

beautiful handmade perfectly imperfect baskets

productivity isn’t high and selling is limited to those that may wander down his path

but, wow, those baskets are made with love

**

a group of us prayed for him after buying a basket

his only basket

pretty sure if he had more we would have cleaned him out

because its so much more than a basket.

(this is him while we prayed for him…one of my fave shots of the trip)

I’ve been thinking alot about this.

about why we have things and think we need things

and how some people take it all for granted

while others say “thank you God for my blessings”

and think that that gives them the privilege or ok to overindulge,

you know, because they said thanks

but what if

what if we all lived differently

and started clearing out our crap

and living simply so that others can simply live?

**

Have you ever tried going barefoot?

even for a day?

do you ever put on your shoes and get down on your knees and thank God for them.

or do you complain that you need a new pair,

or that you can’t find ones to match your outfit?

**

change that today.

thank God that you have shoes.

get down on your knees and be extremely, over abundantly thankful

that you have shoes.

and think of these beautiful people

who now have shoes because someone

chose to live simply

so that others can simply live.