June 18th, 2011 - Homebound
6:00 am: Alice, our MOH intern, got up early to tell us goodbye. We had a good time razzing her about being an LSU tiger. Cody left her an OU t-shirt which she said she'd wear with pride. :)
Airport in Port au Prince, Haiti
Getting home can be exhausting. Luckily we haven't had any kinks to slow us down today. Just a lot of security check points. Haiti airport had three - 3! - check points. It was ridiculous. In Ft. Lauderdale, Customs wasn't terrible as far as timing, but it sure was as far as organization! Cody and I were easily frustrated waiting to get our carry-ons checked and our bodies scanned. And by body scan I mean they can see through your clothes to your skibbies. Why is that necessary?? (After I wrote this in my journal, I think I might have jinxed us looking back because our plane out of Dallas/Ft. Worth was delayed 30 minutes due to a faulty light. We were so anxious to get home knowing we were so close. The last flight home was also the worst flight. There was so much turbulence. Because our arrival time was already delayed, we flew at lightning speed. It made for a very bumpy and nerve-wrecking ride...Oops. The added anxiety just heightened the excitment about seeing our kids at the OKC airport. Tracy and Chris and then Cody and I raced (or fast walked) to get to the kids first. Tracy and Cody won.)
We did gorge ourselves on American food once we landed in Florida. There were certain things we missed - cheese burgers and fries, ice cream, Mountain Dew (or liquid crack as Cody calls it)...We hit up Chilli's pretty quick. Eating was a priority for Cody, especially, since he hadn't eaten much the last nine days. We had horrendous service, but that didn't stop us from craving good, greasy food. I think it's safe to say NONE of us want granola bars, Pringles or Ritz crackers for quite some time...
I did wake up looking like Angelina Jolie with my swollen lips due to a sunburn...I flew all the way to Haiti to get a collagen treatment. Us, girls, passed around Francine Rivers' Redeeming Love during the trip. It was recommended by Tracy to Zan then to me then Lisa and then Tina...If you haven't read it, you should. It's inspired from the book of Hosea and parallels to the unconditional, merciful love God has for us and how He continually pursues us no matter how bad we mess up. We would become very antisocial while it was our turn to read it. You won't be able to put it down.
Walking through the airports, we got lots of compliments on our Haitian paintings. Lela, Zan, April and I purchased canvas paintings our last day there. I chose one of the rolling hills and sunset of Haiti with women working in the fields. The painting represented strength and hard work which is what this country is all about. April chose one with just Haitian women to represent how God revealed to her strength in women no matter what country they are from. I'm excited to hang the painting in my house as a reminder each day of what God revealed to me about His people and His heart.
For nine days, we didn't really miss technology. A few of us used our phones or made the occasionally call home, but not having access to Facebook, blogging, texting, cable, etc...was a joy - at least for Cody and me. It's kinda funny though once we touched down in America, we were back to our old habits. Most of us were glued to our phones catching up on emails or news. It's so easy to fall back in to the clutter and drama of life. In Haiti, it's just so simplicity. Reading emails that deter my spirit or a text message that is disheartening blurs my vision and makes my head spin. It's so interesting how the enemy pursues you and can have an immediate affect on your spiritual high. I'm holding fast to what God revealed to me in Haiti and praying I don't loose sight of that back home. In the words of Brad Johnson, founder of Mission of Hope, home is my mission field. I can not let the world clout my purpose. It's so easy to get caught up in the 'now' or the 'me' factor - what's in it for me instead of thinking, "What's in this for God?" Haiti was a detox for me. I know where my ministry is and I can't let the enemy keep me from that.
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As I've looked back at my journals and sat down for the last few days to blog about our Haiti trip, I'm still so overwhelmed at the vast cultural difference between us and Haiti. They are doing so many things right and we aren't. Cody told me the first time he went that Haitian culture is so hard to explain. You just have to experience it. I didn't get that then, but he's exactly right. It is so hard to define what they possess in words. They have absolutely nothing; yet they have everything. And we have absolutely everything; yet nothing at all. Because the Haitians have nothing, they must rely on God for everything. And we are infinitely blessed and chose to rely on ourselves even though those blessings come from God. It's just so interesting to me how we choose satisifaction in wordly things over the joy of the Lord. It boggles my mind and forces me to rethink my priorities, my motives, my wants, my friendships, my purpose, my time...every aspect of my life should be filled with the joy of the Lord - of Jesus who died for ME; not what this world can give me. "Do not store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will be also." -Matthew 6:19-21
To close, I read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein to Noah at bedtime the other night. As I was reading to him, I couldn't help, but think how the Tree is much like the Lord in His pursuit of us. And how the story is much like what our faith should be about. In the beginning of the story, a small boy comes to play with the tree. He eats her apples. He swings from her branches. He climbs her trunk. They play hide and seek. He rests in her shade. And the tree is happy. The Tree pours out blessings to the Boy because she loves him; just as God does with His children. And these very things are simple activities -a childlike faith filled of joy and comfort. Jesus loves the little children. In the Book of Mark, He tells us that no one will receive the Kingdom of God unless they are like a child. But then the boy gets old and the world sets in - he meets a girl, he needs money, he needs shelter. And the Tree gives everything she has. While companionship, shelter and security are all things of God, we sometimes allow those things to be our god - relying on the money or the spouse to be our stronghold. We are the Boy. At some point in our life, our faith stops being simple and easy. It's no longer 'Jesus love me this I know". It's a constant question. "How can God love me?" "What if that...?" "How can I...?" But the answer is simple, His love conquers all. At the end of the story, after the Tree has given the Boy her branches for shelter, her trunk for a boat, her apples to sell, and she's nothing, but an old stump, the Boy returns still asking for one final thing - a place to rest. The Tree, like God, graciously and unconditionally offers rest. And the Tree is happy.
Haiti is still in need and we cannot forget about them. If you feel called to sponsor them, visit them at http://mohhaiti.org
