Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Meet Ezekiel
We would love to introduce to you the newest member of the Grace House! We began introducing Ezekiel to our home this week, and he will likely move in within the next few days. He is a precious little boy and we hope you will join us in prayer for him. Pray that God will show the forever family that He has chosen for Ezekiel that there is a little boy in Haiti waiting for them. He will surely be a blessing to them when that time comes. Here are a few photos, and I am sure there will be more to come.
Isn't his smile precious. Doesn't it just make you want to come to Haiti to visit us and love on these precious children? Think about it!
Monday, July 22, 2013
Cuteness
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Musings of a "missionary"
I have a hard time calling myself a missionary. Many of us have read those missionary stories, right? The ones that talk of all the heroic deeds missionaries do and how they led many people to Christ every week. The ones that sound near perfect in many ways. People who gave their whole lives to live in some jungle, and seemed happy about living in that jungle even when snakes slithered next to their beds.
I am here to tell you that I have a hard time calling myself a missionary because my life doesn't look like that. Sometimes I really hate the bugs and the heat and the lack of privacy and the illness. I miss family and friends and get really sad about things my family and I are missing out on with them. i get stressed every day because I used to love cooking for my family and now it seems like such a chore because I am not used to the food and it is such a task to go to market. I am pretty sure I struggle with sin more here in Haiti as a missionary than I did living in the States. I get crabby, tired, anxious and selfish. I feel frustrated with the needs that surround me when I don't know how to help. I get sick of crying children. I get annoyed when I can't communicate what I want to say either with words or in a culture that I don't understand. I am hot a lot and sometimes I just want to stop sweating. There are times when I just want everyone to get out of the house and let me be alone.
I want to be like Jesus to the people around me, to my husband, my partner in ministry. To my children whom God gave me first, before moving to Haiti. To the Haitian children in our care, the aunts that are here every day, the fellow staff here at COTP, our Haitian friends, people in our village and surrounding areas. There are so many needs and it feels like I fail so often.
People write and say "I wish I could do what you are doing." Or, "God is using you in amazing ways." Sometimes, "Those children are so blessed to have you!" Yes, God can use us and I believe He is. The children living with us are experiencing family and consistency and love. We have made some great friendships and are looking forward to getting deeper with relationships and talking more and more about the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is something great about having a peace that you are right where God wants you. The life in Haiti is simpler in so many ways. We get to learn a new language and culture first hand. Our biological children are getting experiences that will impact them forever.
I just thought you should know how much we need your prayers. It isn't always pretty here. If there was a story about the Willis family, it wouldn't be flowery. We do feel that God called us here, and He is ALWAYS faithful to complete the work He has started. There are many things to love about Haiti and about the people here. We know that God often uses the hard things in our life to mold and shape us and so being here isn't just about the Haitian people, but about us, too. Will you pray for us? We know so many of you do and we are so grateful.
I am here to tell you that I have a hard time calling myself a missionary because my life doesn't look like that. Sometimes I really hate the bugs and the heat and the lack of privacy and the illness. I miss family and friends and get really sad about things my family and I are missing out on with them. i get stressed every day because I used to love cooking for my family and now it seems like such a chore because I am not used to the food and it is such a task to go to market. I am pretty sure I struggle with sin more here in Haiti as a missionary than I did living in the States. I get crabby, tired, anxious and selfish. I feel frustrated with the needs that surround me when I don't know how to help. I get sick of crying children. I get annoyed when I can't communicate what I want to say either with words or in a culture that I don't understand. I am hot a lot and sometimes I just want to stop sweating. There are times when I just want everyone to get out of the house and let me be alone.
I want to be like Jesus to the people around me, to my husband, my partner in ministry. To my children whom God gave me first, before moving to Haiti. To the Haitian children in our care, the aunts that are here every day, the fellow staff here at COTP, our Haitian friends, people in our village and surrounding areas. There are so many needs and it feels like I fail so often.
People write and say "I wish I could do what you are doing." Or, "God is using you in amazing ways." Sometimes, "Those children are so blessed to have you!" Yes, God can use us and I believe He is. The children living with us are experiencing family and consistency and love. We have made some great friendships and are looking forward to getting deeper with relationships and talking more and more about the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is something great about having a peace that you are right where God wants you. The life in Haiti is simpler in so many ways. We get to learn a new language and culture first hand. Our biological children are getting experiences that will impact them forever.
I just thought you should know how much we need your prayers. It isn't always pretty here. If there was a story about the Willis family, it wouldn't be flowery. We do feel that God called us here, and He is ALWAYS faithful to complete the work He has started. There are many things to love about Haiti and about the people here. We know that God often uses the hard things in our life to mold and shape us and so being here isn't just about the Haitian people, but about us, too. Will you pray for us? We know so many of you do and we are so grateful.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Zion Hope's special friend
I have talked a few times about Zion, Fritzlin, and Loudena and how much they play together. They are learning and growing and interact much like any three 2 year olds would. They play together, steal toys from one another, laugh together, cry together, and entertain us together.
I don't know if I have mentioned before how much Zion Hope LOVES Paco. Paco is who she goes to first thing in the morning. He is usually in his bouncy seat and she plops down beside him and gets right in his face. "Paco, Paco, Paco!" She kisses on him and squeezes a little too tight, and throughout the day she can be found doing this periodically. She has also been known to sneak into his room when he is supposed to be going to sleep to talk to him and pat his back. She loves him. It is so sweet to see how our life here impacts even our two year old. Don't get me wrong, sometimes we see how she struggles because of having to share us, but then we catch the glimpses of pure joy on her face as she talks to him and sings to him. Paco will not crawl or walk or feed himself while in our care. Someday he will have surgery and we don't know all of the implications of that, but we do know that he will have a special friend watching out for him even when he can't do things for himself.
We rarely let Zion hold Paco because she wants to do it all by herself and I am not comfortable with that yet. Yesterday she was spending some time with him and he was really loving it, so I let her hold him for a bit. They both enjoyed it! Hope you like the few shots I was able to get while keeping one arm available to rescue him if she got carried away with her snuggles! They were taken with my ipod, so aren't the best quality, but I think you can still appreciate the love!
Children of the Promise has given permission for the posting of the photos on this site. Photos taken of children in the care of Children of the Promise are not to be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.
I don't know if I have mentioned before how much Zion Hope LOVES Paco. Paco is who she goes to first thing in the morning. He is usually in his bouncy seat and she plops down beside him and gets right in his face. "Paco, Paco, Paco!" She kisses on him and squeezes a little too tight, and throughout the day she can be found doing this periodically. She has also been known to sneak into his room when he is supposed to be going to sleep to talk to him and pat his back. She loves him. It is so sweet to see how our life here impacts even our two year old. Don't get me wrong, sometimes we see how she struggles because of having to share us, but then we catch the glimpses of pure joy on her face as she talks to him and sings to him. Paco will not crawl or walk or feed himself while in our care. Someday he will have surgery and we don't know all of the implications of that, but we do know that he will have a special friend watching out for him even when he can't do things for himself.
We rarely let Zion hold Paco because she wants to do it all by herself and I am not comfortable with that yet. Yesterday she was spending some time with him and he was really loving it, so I let her hold him for a bit. They both enjoyed it! Hope you like the few shots I was able to get while keeping one arm available to rescue him if she got carried away with her snuggles! They were taken with my ipod, so aren't the best quality, but I think you can still appreciate the love!
Children of the Promise has given permission for the posting of the photos on this site. Photos taken of children in the care of Children of the Promise are not to be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Happy Birthday, Jacob!
Happy Birthday, Jacob! This is our first picture of just us and the children. I know they aren't smiling....but they really do seem to like it here! They were all just waking up from their naps when we started the birthday party. Everyone enjoyed the cake and I am sure Jacob was thrilled with the toy parrot Isaiah is sharing with him for his birthday! Fritzlin and Loudena decided Jacob was leaving too many crumbs on his tray so they helped him eat the rest. We encourage helping any way we can around here!! The bottom picture is of Fritzlin in a Twins bib. I am sure it will make him a Twins fan when he grows up!
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
A Day in Pictures
Last Sunday Jadyn and Malachi and I decided to go for a bike ride. I thought it would be fun to take a few pictures to show people what we see as we ride. I didn't take as many as I thought I would as there were many people on the road and I try to be respectful and not take pictures of them. I also didn't want to keep stopping because we were enjoying the ride! After we returned, I thought I could just share photos of the rest of the day. Hope you enjoy!
Children of the Promise has given permission for the posting of photos on this site. Photos taken of children in the care of Children of the Promise are not to be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
First week with a full house
I really wanted to get some cute pictures to share before I wrote a post about our first week. Most days I am so busy I forget about taking pictures, and when I do run to get the camera, a little tiff breaks out!
Yes, we definitely know that we have three two year olds in the house. Three two year olds that have not had the time to grow and change with one another, but have been placed together without their consent! Some days they do well, and then some days we wonder if they will ever play nicely together. We take solace knowing we are only one week in, and that they need a lot of time to adjust and get comfortable with one another. We are having fun seeing Fritzlin and Loudena's personalities come out, and are beginning to identify when they need some extra attention or how to get them to stop crying during meal prep. Three children hanging on your legs screaming while you are making breakfast is not a great way to start the day.
Zion Hope is adjusting to not being our "baby" any more. We are trying to be intentional about taking her on errands up front with us so she gets mommy and daddy time, and one of us always reads to her alone at night so she knows that is her guaranteed alone time.
We are busy. We would be anywhere we were living with 9 children, but making meals with food we are unfamiliar with and having not having access to grocery stores like we are used to, the heat, the bugs, and many of the other things that are unique to Haiti, make it even more difficult. We are tired every day and we feel challenged and stretched and overwhelmed. We know that we can only do this with the strength that God provides for us. Only through Him. We are encouraged through His people every day and are so grateful for words of encouragement, prayers, and your love. Unfortunately Paco has been quite sick, so has spent the past several days with a volunteer nurse and then our COTP nurse. We are praying that he is well enough to return to us soon. Jacob just hangs out and sucks his thumb most of the time. He is a happy baby, and appears to be adjusting to life in the Grace House quite well. They are all so precious, and we feel blessed to be caring for them.
Our older kids are doing well. They are helpful with the little ones at times, and they have their school and play times, also. We had a family meeting last week and they are all happy to have the babies here. They did say it is more chaotic, and it is. They enjoy their times with their friends, walks and bike rides, and attending "futbol" games.
We are all needing to stretch our Creole more and more each day. We are enjoying it when we can, because it makes it so much easier with our Aunts. They help us learn, and we struggle along together. We are enjoying our meal times with them, working together, and worshiping together. Their songs are beautiful and a favorite time of worship is the Creole singing.
So, I wrote this post over a week ago and never finished it. That is the story of my life right now! A few updates: Paco is living at our house again and doing better each day. The two year olds are doing better with sharing, but are definitely keeping us on our toes! Each of them is demanding in their own way....part of being two and figuring out boundaries and limits! Jacob is wanting to explore more and more and is no longer content to sit in one place for long. Here are a few pictures of our life this week.
Jacob and his sweet smile.
Some of the boys!
Fritzlin looks like he is not sure what to think of this girl sitting next to him!
I thought it was hard to get a nice picture of our family before!!! More chaos!
Malachi loves helping out.
The only way we get all of our work done is by employing two little ones to sweep!
Do they look ready for bed? No clue why Zion Hope has these pj's on. She usually sleeps in just a diaper!
She is laughing....and doesn't he look innocent? He isn't, by the way, but he sure is cute.
All enjoying a "regular" cup of water without their sippies. Yep, a lot on the floor.
Zion Hope loves our friend Wilson and this is one of his goats. The only reason he is being friendly is that his rope is wrapped up on our porch and he can't get anywhere.
Loudena just finishing up her new hair do.
Still a Tigers/Twins war in our home!
God provides us with glimpses of beauty just when we need them. I was having a rough night and was having a very rare moment at home alone, and He gave me this sunset to enjoy.
Little Paco. He had to have an IV when he was sick so they gave him a stylin' mohawk. We haven't decided if it will stay or go!
These three can get into some trouble when they want to, but aren't they cute together?
Wilson came to fix our fan. He had a lot of help.
Please continue to pray for us! We would love for you to pray for us to make more time for individual quiet times with The Lord. This has always been important to us, but seems more and more difficult these days. Time with our family is also important, and we need to figure out how to facilitate that in better ways. As we get to know our Haitian children, we learn more about their specific issues and struggles. We need wisdom to know how to deal with these things! We need to continue to progress in Creole. With everything else that is going on, it is hard to push your brain to learn more. There are some days that this just feels overwhelming. We went to a soccer game late in the afternoon today for a fun family outing. When we returned for a late dinner, every one of the Haitian babies cried through dinner and our kids just talked loudly over them while they cried. It was a Calgon moment for sure. When things get loud and stressful, we need to pray and deal with everyone calmly...please pray that we can do that!
Thank you so much for your prayers, financial support, encouragement, and love!
Yes, we definitely know that we have three two year olds in the house. Three two year olds that have not had the time to grow and change with one another, but have been placed together without their consent! Some days they do well, and then some days we wonder if they will ever play nicely together. We take solace knowing we are only one week in, and that they need a lot of time to adjust and get comfortable with one another. We are having fun seeing Fritzlin and Loudena's personalities come out, and are beginning to identify when they need some extra attention or how to get them to stop crying during meal prep. Three children hanging on your legs screaming while you are making breakfast is not a great way to start the day.
Zion Hope is adjusting to not being our "baby" any more. We are trying to be intentional about taking her on errands up front with us so she gets mommy and daddy time, and one of us always reads to her alone at night so she knows that is her guaranteed alone time.
We are busy. We would be anywhere we were living with 9 children, but making meals with food we are unfamiliar with and having not having access to grocery stores like we are used to, the heat, the bugs, and many of the other things that are unique to Haiti, make it even more difficult. We are tired every day and we feel challenged and stretched and overwhelmed. We know that we can only do this with the strength that God provides for us. Only through Him. We are encouraged through His people every day and are so grateful for words of encouragement, prayers, and your love. Unfortunately Paco has been quite sick, so has spent the past several days with a volunteer nurse and then our COTP nurse. We are praying that he is well enough to return to us soon. Jacob just hangs out and sucks his thumb most of the time. He is a happy baby, and appears to be adjusting to life in the Grace House quite well. They are all so precious, and we feel blessed to be caring for them.
Our older kids are doing well. They are helpful with the little ones at times, and they have their school and play times, also. We had a family meeting last week and they are all happy to have the babies here. They did say it is more chaotic, and it is. They enjoy their times with their friends, walks and bike rides, and attending "futbol" games.
We are all needing to stretch our Creole more and more each day. We are enjoying it when we can, because it makes it so much easier with our Aunts. They help us learn, and we struggle along together. We are enjoying our meal times with them, working together, and worshiping together. Their songs are beautiful and a favorite time of worship is the Creole singing.
So, I wrote this post over a week ago and never finished it. That is the story of my life right now! A few updates: Paco is living at our house again and doing better each day. The two year olds are doing better with sharing, but are definitely keeping us on our toes! Each of them is demanding in their own way....part of being two and figuring out boundaries and limits! Jacob is wanting to explore more and more and is no longer content to sit in one place for long. Here are a few pictures of our life this week.
Please continue to pray for us! We would love for you to pray for us to make more time for individual quiet times with The Lord. This has always been important to us, but seems more and more difficult these days. Time with our family is also important, and we need to figure out how to facilitate that in better ways. As we get to know our Haitian children, we learn more about their specific issues and struggles. We need wisdom to know how to deal with these things! We need to continue to progress in Creole. With everything else that is going on, it is hard to push your brain to learn more. There are some days that this just feels overwhelming. We went to a soccer game late in the afternoon today for a fun family outing. When we returned for a late dinner, every one of the Haitian babies cried through dinner and our kids just talked loudly over them while they cried. It was a Calgon moment for sure. When things get loud and stressful, we need to pray and deal with everyone calmly...please pray that we can do that!
Thank you so much for your prayers, financial support, encouragement, and love!
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