This is the day the Lord has made

It’s crazy to think that I am waking up in Haiti, but when I go to sleep tonight I’ll be back at home. Today and yesterday I had so many mixed emotions, and now I am just not ready to say goodbye. The kids here have been such a huge blessing, and I don’t want to have to say goodbye. I know this is not our final goodbye, because I am definitely coming back next summer, but I don’t want to wait a whole year before I see them. These kids were nothing but happy and playful these whole two weeks. They would just jump on you, love on you, and make you feel like there is nothing greater in this world. God has truly blessed me with this great opportunity. I didn’t know I would fall this much in love with this country, but I know God is telling me that this won’t be my last time here, and I will continue to come back for years and years.

We had our party yesterday, and the kids were so excited. I  was so happy when I saw that all of my kids came to school yesterday. It gave me my last opportunity for this trip to really spend time with them. We started out by doing a little lesson on The Giving Tree. This was one of my favorite books at a kid, and I still love reading it now. I wanted them to see what it is like to give back to people, and how the bible says you are more blessed to give than to receive. After we did a few activities we began to fun party. We play a few rounds of bingo first. They had never played bingo before, but after we played the first game, they were so into it and wanted to play more and more. After bingo the kids were ready to chow down. We had cupcakes, candy, suckers, and cool aid for them. We play a few more different games and then went outside and played with the rest of the kids in summer school. As the kids left I gave each of them a hug and told them I would definitely see them next summer. When they heard me say I would be back in a year they jumped with joy and that made me so happy to see. I really do hope I taught them something or impacted their lives in some way. I don't think these kids realize what they have done in my life, but I am just so thankful for God putting each of those kids in my life. For this post, I thought it would be a cool/good idea to put a picture of each of my students and just tell you a little about each one. Each kid had their own unique personalities and so it was funny and interesting seeing them all go together so perfectly. 

This is Esterline. She was a very quiet girl at first, but after a few days she was one of the funniest girls ever.  She had me laughing all the time, but she also was helpful when I needed the class to calm down. 

This is Sherdley. Sherdley was the sweetest little girl. She was also one of the smartest in my class. Whenever I asked a question I could always count on her to give the right answer. She would do little things for me in the class that I don't think she realized how great that was to me. She even gave me a piece of her candy on the last day of class.

This is Nathiana. She was definitely the leader of the pack of girls, but she used it to my advantage haha. She was helpful when getting the class to be quiet and listen. She loved helping me hand out things to all the students. She loved talking to me, and whenever she had the chance she was at my side asking questions.

This is Lourna. At first I could not get her to talk to me. Now, I can't get her to stop talking to me. She was such a sweetie and would always come hang out with me during recess. When I went to the church service in the ravine I felt someone tap my back and looked and saw her. It was so cool to see one of my students outside of class, and I loved getting to know her more that night.

This is Kenderline. She loved talking to me and sitting on my lap whenever she had the opportunity. During VBS one day she was by my side the entire time, so I loved getting her to open up to me more. She told me so much about her and her family, and she loved asking me more questions about my life.

This is Keymderson. He was a spunky little boy and I could never get him to sit down. His smile though was filled with joy and I loved every time he would have the biggest grin on his face. He loved asking me when we would go to recess, but even during recess he would come hang out with me and tell the funniest jokes to me.

This is Derlens. Derlens is a funny character and always was the first one to raise his hand to pray before breakfast or lunch. His laugh was one of my favorite things to hear. He enjoyed library time the most out of my class, and I loved hearing how well he could read.

This is Sebastian. He was the only student that came to school every single day. And every day I feel like he became more and more bubble and outgoing. He was such a bright student and was always one of the first kids done with their work. He made sure I gave him a sticker for every worksheet he had right so that he could put them all in his journal.

This is John. John was a very quiet kid during class, but once he was out in recess he was so outgoing and silly. I would always find him making jokes or playing around with his classmates. He was obsessed with taking pictures on my phone.

This is Jonel. At first Jonel wouldn't listen to me, but as the two weeks went by he became more and more obedient. As I got to know more about him I also found he was the most gentle heart of any of the kids. He was so caring towards others and made sure that everyone had their things before he did. He was such a sweet kid, and I am so glad I was able to see that before I left.

My last student is Danielo. He didn't come to school a whole lot, but when he did he definitely made the class more loud and happy. He was always singing and dancing during class, and he made everyone in the class laugh. He was able to make me laugh at myself at times when I needed to the most.

This is Murielle. She was one of my student helpers for the two weeks. She didn't talk to me at all at first, and I was nervous she never would. But she finally began to open up and talk to me more. She even gave me some good love advice for when I get back to the states haha.

This is Deseline. She was my other student helper. She was a very, very quiet girl, but when I was able to talk to her I found out how sweet and caring of a girl she was. She was always the first one in the class and helped me no matter what I needed.

All my kids and student helpers made my trip so much better. They helped me see the positives in everything, helped me laugh at myself when I needed to the most, made me realize that everything doesn't have to be perfect, and lastly they let God shine through them so much each and every day. I was so blessed by these kids, and I will say that over and over again because it will never change. They were truly a blessing in my life and I cannot wait to see what The Lord will do in their lives as they grow up.

After school I hung out with all the kids that lived here and we all just sat around and played. Allex stayed after school for a little and so I was able to hang out with him one last time before I left. Allex is like a brother to me, and it's amazing to see how much he loves God, and how much he wants to help change Haiti. He is ready to help Haiti grow in the future and I know God is going to do great things through him. I told Allex that I plan on visiting his family every time I am here, and he was so happy when I told him that. He told me his grandma loved having us visit and is so excited to see more of me. I was not ready to say goodbye to Allex, but I told him my dad is excited to see him when he comes to Haiti in a few weeks, and that I will be seeing him next year. 

We took the student helpers and teachers to the same bakery as we did earlier in the week. It was so yummy again, and I definitely needed the ice cream that I got. After we got back I just hung out with the other teachers because I am really not ready to say goodbye to them today. They have been such inspirations in my life and I am so thankful God put each and every one of them in my life. Each has impacted my life in more ways than one, and I hope that our friendship never dies because these teachers will always have a special place in my heart. They are like older sisters and moms to me, and I don't know how I could have gone through this trip without them. Brandy, Emily, Jessi, Jordan, Beverly, David, Katelyn, Rachel, Leonard, Samantha and everyone else I met/grew close to during this trip.. if you're reading this I just want you to know how great it was to meet you and I hope to stay in touch after this. God shines through you all each and every day and I know He will do great things through yall for years to come. Thank for you putting up with me and making this place feel more like home. 

I love you all sooo much.

Later in the evening the kids had a movie night, and we watch Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was funny because the older kids have seen this movie so many times that they knew almost all the words. The little kids would dance to every song that was played and it made me laugh every time. They were completely glued to the movie and never took their eyes off it unless they were grabbing some popcorn and taking a sip of their cool aid. Last night me, Brandy, Emily, Sam, and Jordan decided to all sleep on the roof of the school. It was so much more cooler up there than in the room, and it was so neat sleeping under the stars. We talked and talked until it was late at night, and it was so fun to know more about each of those girls. We got delusional by the end of the night, and so everything was funny to us. I crashed by the end of the night, but was easily woken early in the morning by the sounds of the roosters and people singing. It was so fun and cool to see the sun rise. 

I am definitely not ready to leave at all. I am dreading what is going to happen in a few hours. But I am just so glad I was able to have this opportunity. A year ago I would have never thought I would have spent two weeks of my summer here. I would have never thought of all the people I met and grew closer with. There are just so many things that have happened through this trip. I learned so much, met so many great people, and my relationship with Christ grew. I have learned to trust in God more, and to try not to stress about the little things in life. I have learned to become more flexible, and that not everything has to be perfect. I have learned to just live my life, and let God live through me. This has just been such a great trip, and I cannot wait until I am back here and these kids are back in my arms. I really am excited to see my family again, and I know that once I am back with them I will be so happy, but right now I just don't want to say goodbye. God is great for letting me come here, and I will thank Him every day for this blessing that He placed in my life. 

My heart will forever be in Haiti.

"This is the day the Lord has made;

We will rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalm 118:24