Cody's text: "Hey babe...Happy Valentine's Day. Just crossed into Haiti. Still on the bus. Everything is going good. How are you?"Cody and team got up at 7:30 am (6:30 am our time) to load the bus to Haiti. In between texting with Cody, a teacher friend of mine called to let me know her church, Bethel Baptist, prayed for Cody's team during service this morning. How cool is it to have other churches aware of this mission and partnering in prayer? Cody still isn't exactly sure what specific assignments he will complete while in Haiti over the next five days.
Cody's text (around 1:30 pm our time): "Oh wow. We're getting into Haiti now. It makes Mexico look nice. I feel like I'm watching National Geographic..."
Cody has only been on two mission trips previous to this one. One to St. Louis with middle schoolers from McFarlin Church when we were first married and the other to Rio Bravo, Mexico with high schoolers. We traveled to Mexico during Spring Break to build houses for the poverty-stricken country. People living without running water or electricity in basically make-shift houses built out of whatever material they could get their hands on. If you have electricity in Rio Bravo, or Nuevo Progresso where we have also built houses, you are considered rich. I can only imagine what Cody is seeing if he's describing it as worse than Mexico. (Though not all of Mexico is poverty-stricken.)
Cody said the team got to bed late last night and then up early this morning. He is really tired. He's fallen asleep on the bus three times which if he is sleeping in a vehicle he must be VERY tired because he doesn't sleep on trips. He told me he's exhausted and he hasn't even gotten there yet. The good thing about Cody is he does know how to operate on no sleep being a firefighter and all.
Cody's text: (around 2 pm our time) "Seeing some earthquake damage, and our soldiers." Apparently there was another after shock yesterday, Cody said.
I let Cody's mom, Linda, know her baby boy had made it to the mission site. She told me she has tons of people praying for Cody. Cody is wrapped in prayer all over the cities of Norman and Seminole! (A dear friend texted me after reading this line and said Cody has prayers in Tulsa, too! She thanked Cody and I for being such great examples of a loving couple with hearts for God for her and her husband. What a sweet compliment! Cody and I have to work at our marriage every day. It is a choice. I wouldn't trade him for anything in this world. I'm one lucky gal to have husband with such a servant heart.)
2:30 pm our time- Cody's text: "Some guy just came up to me wanting water. I saved my bottle of water from lunch just for that purpose. One person helped, a million to go."
3:30 pm our time- Cody and team are waiting for their ride to Mission of Hope at the US Embassy. Cody says, "I do miss you like crazy. It's another world over here. I hope I can still watch Castle over here." Castle is one of our TV shows. It airs on Monday nights at 9 pm. Cody says surely they'll have a plasma for him to watch it on. He's also craving Panera Bread. He just ate a packet of tuna. Yum.
About 4:30 pm our time- Cody tried to send the picture of the little Haitian girl of about three and him. He said she loved his Pringles. Figures Cody would give away his own food! I never received this picture. Christian and Kristie Meek helped me get this photo. Thanks, friends! I showed this picture to Noah. His face lit up when he saw Daddy, but his brows furrowed as he intensely studied the little girl with Daddy.
Since about 5 pm our time, Cody has been trying to call and I've tried calling him back. My phone never rings. It just shows up as a 'missed call'. I can't reach even Cody's voice mail. Text messaging seems to be the best form of communication. He doesn't have access to email like we originally thought. I do have his sweet voice recorded on my voicemail. He managed to get through once.
Friends have been helping me not feel so lonely. The Meeks brought by Valentine cupcakes. Many have called or texted. I appreciate all the support! Two days down, seven to go.
8:15 pm our time I received an email from Linda, Cody's mom.
I talked to Cody on the phone about 5 or 6 or so. Not sure. We had a nice chat. He told me the same things in your blog. He's tired, misses you and Noahbear, but feels he is supposed to be there. He mentioned the people wandering aimlessly in the streets. Many, many people. With make-shift shelters made of sheets or whatever. He says it's 'crazy'. He also said the Dominican, though not earthquake ravaged, wasn't much better than Haiti. Definitely third world countries. He described the mission as kind of a gated 'compound'. It has a clinic, dorms, an orphanage and is somewhat self-contained. He said it is outside the city about a mile, up on a hill, and looks to the west over the beautiful ocean. He said someone was fixing them beans and rice for supper. He's hoping they get some good rest tonight for the unknown tasks ahead of them tomorrow. He told me he was trying to call you. I guess he never got through. I was lucky--no blessed to get to hear him. He sounds good. Postive. Strong. Such a hero, my baby. You are raising one to be just like him....
Lg
She knew I wanted to hear from Cody, so she filled me in. It just wasn't looking like speaking with Cody was going to happen tonight.
Then at 8:30, I got a call from my Valentine. Cody is very tired, like Linda said. He is on call tonight which means when he goes to bed he has a walkie talkie. He could and will get paged throughout the night. He just went on a car wreck patient. He is still in street clothes; not scrubs. He is THE EMT and running the ambulance with transferring patients. I suspect it will be a long night...
Cody has a gift of healing and he is using that gift to the fullest this week. The Spirit called him somewhere out of his comfort zone and Cody didn't ignore the call. He heard and said, "Here I am, Lord. Send me." If I may be so bold, other people in our church and our country who are medically certified might feel the call, but ignore it. Cody and the other six he is with heard the call and went. Faith without works is dead. Cody's faith is alive. All of us have a call on our lives to go out into the nations and share Jesus. I'm not sure if the Spirit called me to a place of devastation that I would be as willing to go as Cody. The Spirit calls us to do things that stretch us and make us stronger. Cody will be stronger when he returns. I can't wait to hear his stories.
"I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to Him...forever and ever!" -Eph. 3:16-21
Cody, we are praying for strength. The Spirit will restore your tiredness. You won't need or even know of sleep because God will carry you.
