Jezi renmen ou

Jesus loves you. That is one thing we make sure the kids know. Some of them may not know exactly what the word "love" means or what it feels like, but I try my hardest to show them what it's like to be loved. I also want them to know that there will always be at least one person who will love them no matter what. And that is Jesus. I just hope that gives them something to live for and work for. As most of you know, there was a tropical storm a few days ago that hit here, and so with that we lost power for about two days.. Which is why I am just now doing the next post. The wifi is one of the main reasons why I don't sometimes write on my blog right away, so I would just count on that if you see I haven't posted lately. A lot has happened those these past three days and so I am excited to write a longer post. I won't have as many pictures though because my phone died yesterday and so I wasn't able to take any pictures at all. I am not sure if I have said this in a post yet, but thank you so much for reading my blog. It really means the world to me to know that there are several people who take the time everyday to read this. I just love knowing that there are other people reading and seeing what God is doing in my life as I walk through my journey in Haiti. Again, it really means so much and I cannot thank yall enough!

The night the storm hit was scary for me. I already am not a fan of storms, and the fact that I slept by a window probably didn't help. When we were heading to bed the wind was picking up and the rain was starting to come down faster. Before going to bed I just prayed that every person in Haiti would stay safe during the storm. I was able to fall asleep quite fast, but I woke up a couple hours later and the storm had picked up and just made me so scared. I was on the verge of crying when I sudden calmness came over me. I honestly don't know what it was but it was like God wrapped me in His arms and whispered "I've got you Katy, you're going to be okay if you just trust me" and I thought of the other day when I felt like He was trying to tell me to trust in Him, and that He was going to take care of me. So I was able to fall back asleep after a little while. Once I woke up, the first thing I thought about was my class. None of the kids in my class live here, and so I was just praying and praying that they were okay and would be attending school that day. I was more worried when only three of my students came to school that day. I prayed every chance I got that the rest of the class was okay. The boys that did come though, were so precious and sweet, so we had a great and relaxing day. We finished a lot of the school work earlier than usual, so we were able to play cards and other fun games. When they left they each gave me a hug and said "thank you for a fun day Miss Katy, see you tomorrow!" and I wanted to crying right then and there. That was one of the sweetest thing any of those boys have said to me. It definitely made my day to hear that.

Friday I woke up and continued to pray that more students would come, and I was so thankful when I saw that all my students showed up! I gave each and every one of them a huge hug before they walked into the classroom and told them how happy I was to see them. I really was so happy because I knew that each of them were safe and my prayers were definitely answered. For Friday's activities I had a few learning activities to go along with the book Rainbow Fish and then after we were finished we still had enough time to play card games, sing a few songs, and have a long recess. They were so energetic that day, it made me smile. These kids have made my summer so much greater just before they have showed me what pure joy looks and sounds like. When I hear the kids laughters fill the compound I immediately smile because you don't see that kind of joy everywhere. After school we had a long break and so me and Brandy played cards for literally two hours. It was so fun and hilarious, and definitely passed the time quickly haha. It is so great to grow closer with the people here.

Today was such a relaxing and fun day. The teachers were able to take a break and go to Wahoo Bay, which is a Haitian resort. I was so excited just because I love the beach, and so to be able to swim and lay by the ocean made me jump up and down like a little kid. When we got there I was in awe by the ocean. It was so clear and perfect I thought I was dreaming. We all pretty much ran down to the beach and jumped into the refreshing water. It just felt good to float in the ocean and not have a care in the world. We all just lounged around and swam all afternoon. I sent my parents a picture of the ocean and my mom sent back the verse I put at the bottom of this post. It definitely describes this day to me and I loved that she sent it to me. When it was time to go I was sad, but also glad because I could feel my skin getting a little burnt. I was also exhausted so I was ready to lay in my bed... That did not happen however. All the kids were running around when we got back so we all just played around with them until the sun began to go down. These kids are IN LOVE with hand sanitizer, so they made mine completely empty by the time I came upstairs. I was able to Skype with my parents and was so excited to see their faces. They really did make me miss home, but I still am thankful and glad to be in Haiti. When it was dark all the teachers and volunteers staying here got in a big circle and sang worship together. It was amazing for us to all come together as a whole for one last time, as the team from Kansas heads back home in the morning. It's crazy to think that the people who I have grown so close to in the past week, I would have never even met if I hadn't gone on this trip. My favorite line we sang tonight was "There is no one like our God" because there honestly is no one like Him. He is so great and loves each and every one of us, even when we sin. I am so grateful for our God and blessed for all He has done in my life. I cannot believe it has already been a week that I have been here. I am not ready to leave and am sad that next Sunday I won't be waking up to the sound of roosters crowing or people chanting. It'll just be weird not being with all these kids who God has blessed me with the chance to grow close with. I know God has a purpose for me, and right now I know I will continue to come back to Haiti until He tells me otherwise. This country just brings me more joy and thankfulness then I could ever imagine. Thank you God.

"...He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul."

Psalm 23:2-3