I've talked about this program before. But this year we have expanded it to help even more kids. So I need to talk about it some more to raise funds for it!

Since I moved to Haiti in 2008, there have always been parents asking me to pay to send their children to school.

I read about the idea of matching parents contributions in a book. I loved the idea because it required the parents to put forth an effort in helping their own children. This promotes dignity and responsibility. But the reality is that a lot of parents in Haiti can not afford to send their children to school. They need a hand up.

Invest Hope has a school match savings program. This year, 35 children are enrolled and their parents are already busy contributing to their accounts!

So we want you to meet some of these children and learn what their dreams are.

 

This is Coralee. She is being raised by a single mom who works really hard to take care of her and her older brother. But the money she makes isn't enough to pay for school for her children.

Coralee is a high energy, high pitched giggling, squirmy 7 year old. I wish you could hear her little high pitched voice. She says that she loves babies and when she grows up she wants to be a nanny and take care of them.

Will you help us help her mother send her to school?

Your donation is tax-deductible. It can be sent to:

Licking Valley Church of Christ
1578 Dayton Rd
Newark, OH 43055

Check payable to "Licking Valley Church of Christ"
put "Invest Hope" in the memo line of the check.

Tons of Baby Omri Pictures!

I am back online! Have been so busy taking care of Omri that I haven't posted in weeks and weeks. 

Omri and I are still in Ohio. He is now 10 weeks old. His due date was today, July 16th!

He spent 6 weeks in the NICU in Miami and we have been home for a few weeks. 

Here is a picture of Omri's primary nurses in the NICU...we LOVE these ladies...they made our stressful stay so much better.

My Aunt Hattie (dad's youngest sister) drove all the way down from West Virginia to meet Omri!

We went from this...one person being able to hold him once a day (talk about torture!) to...

                                                    Being home in Ohio!

 We got to go to my cousin Bree's wedding in West Virginia. Isn't she a BEAUTIFUL bride?

                                          Great PaPaw Jim (my mom's dad)

            

                 4 Generations of Andrews'! My dad's parents, dad, me and Omri.

I am missing my Odessa so very much...this has been the hardest part of being away. I have never been apart from her this long. David is holding everything together beautifully! He is being a great daddy to Odessa and counting the days he gets to be one to Omri. Odessa sings to Omri over Skype daily and is looking forward to holding "Her baby" soon :)

This has been a stressful, joyful, tearful, and HOPEful time for our family. We are thankful for all the support you have given us during this time.  Continue to pray for us and our reunion together as a family again...we can hardly wait!

God is teaching me now that although I don't always understand the "method to the madness", that there is a plan and it DOES work for good. 

As I look at my baby boy everyday with my heart exploding with love...it's hard to believe God loves him more. David and I feel so blessed that The Lord put Omri in our family. 

***Thank you all for being patient about the lack of mission updates. David continues to work for Invest Hope in Haiti and he hasten sending me updates and pictures...but I am have been busy (and tired) and haven't been posting updates. Stay tuned for these updates and thank you for your patience.

It's a BOY!

On May 7th, our little boy decided to come into the world 10 weeks early.

My water broke in Haiti on April 26th and I flew into Miami the same day trying to make it back to Ohio. I only made it as far as Miami where they put me on hospitalized bed rest because I was only 28 weeks pregnant. 

On May 7th I went into labor and they could not stop it. My mom was here in Miami with me and was the first to see the gender of our baby. I can not tell you how thrilled my husband David is ow that he has his boy!

Omri Davidson Andews-Barreau was born on May 7th at 10:06pm. He weighed 3 pounds 2 ounces and was 16.5 inches long.

Omri is still in the NICU in Miami. He is doing well. He no longer has an IV. He is taking some feedings orally and the rest given by tube and still on oxygen. He currently weighs 3 pounds 10 ounces. My family has taken turns staying down here with me pretty much non-stop. 

Thank you for your prayers and kindness during this time. It is has been very stressful on our family being separated for so long and for such an important event. But God has been good and we are looking forward to the day we are together with the new addition to our family!

Uncle JW holding him for the first time.

Mommy holding him for the first time. And I haven't really put him down since!

Mama Lynn and PawPaw looking at their first grandson!

Pictured below is the first time Daddy and Odessa are seeing him via Skype from Haiti! They can not wait to get their hands on him!

Why Would He Do That?

Now I am no preacher. Or bible college graduate. Or super well versed in the bible. But I was reading the book of Mark and his account of Jesus's life. I have read in a bible study and several books now about how Jesus was very much about relationships and there are plenty of examples of that in the bible.

But something caught the eye of this preacher's kid that I had obviously overlooked when hearing and reading the story of Jesus walking on water.

Here is the story from the NCV in Mark 6:45-51

Immediately Jesus told his followers to get into the boat and go ahead of him to Bethsaida across the lake. He stayed there to send the people home. After sending them away, he went into the hills to pray.  That night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on the land.  He saw his followers struggling hard to row the boat, because the wind was blowing against them. Between three and six o’clock in the morning, Jesus came to them, walking on the water, and he wanted to walk past the boat. But when they saw him walking on the water, they thought he was a ghost and cried out.  They all saw him and were afraid. But quickly Jesus spoke to them and said, “Have courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”  Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind became calm. The followers were greatly amazed.

The part that I saw for the first time is found in verse 48. It says, "He saw his followers struggling hard to row the boat, because the wind was blowing against them. Between three and six o’clock in the morning, Jesus came to them, walking on the water, and he wanted to walk past the boat."

Reread the last part that is bolded and italicized by me.

So let me get this straight.

Jesus saw that his followers, who by the way, HE sent out ahead of Him, STRUGGLING HARD to row the boat. And what was Jesus' reaction going to be to this?

To walk past them?

Really?

So I thought it may just be the New Century Version that translated it this way.

The New American Standard Bible says: "Seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them."

So Jesus, according to this translation, intentionally was going to pass by his disciples after seeing them straining?

 This does not seem like the relational Jesus I have been reading Christian authors write about. Why would be want to an intend to pass by his BFF's that were struggling? He saw them. He was the one who sent them out ahead after all! So when He saw them having a hard time why was He just going to walk right past them?

The good news is is that He did help them. After they called out to him thinking he was a ghost. They were afraid. 

Is it possible that God is waiting on us to call out to Him in the middle of a problem we may have in our own lives? He's there. He cares. He knows when wind is blowing and that we are struggling and straining.  But there could be a personal lesson waiting for us that we haven't fully learned yet? 

Like I said before...I am no bible scholar...but I know that God knows my problems. He sees when I am struggling hard to fight on my own. Does the God who sent me out see? Does my frightened voice have the power to move the God who made the heavens and earth to stop by and comfort me?

I believe it does.

So Have You?

I just got home from Bile study. The ladies who are missionaries in Jacmel meet together once a week for study and fellowship.

Today we talked about friendship and how it is so different making and keeping friends while living in Haiti. Honestly, I don't have that many friends here. My best friend is Haitian and I can relate to her and have more in common with her than I have ever had with any American friend I have ever had. Sometimes God brings you a blessing from the most unlikely places and circumstances!

But friendship is hard here. Every mission has different focuses and most missionaries have a busy workload that doesn't leave much time for making and keeping friendships. One point that was brought up today was the fact that missionaries seem to come and go at a pretty high rate that it's a struggle at times to make the time to start a friendship when the reality is there is a high probability that person won't be around for long.

But there is something about community and friendship with those who understand. No offense, but most of you reading this blog have never lived in Haiti. So it's a treat to sit and talk with someone else who has "walked that mile in your shoes" and truly understands. We can laugh about the day to days encounters we have within a different culture. We can fully understand when someone is just feeling like they can't do it here anymore. And no one understands feeling left out back "home" like others who have spent holiday after holiday away from their families too.

Haiti is hard.

Really hard.

Ask anyone who has lived here over a year and I guarantee they will agree.

So that is why today I am thankful for friendships. Friendships I had in the past and the current ones I have here on the mission field.

Remember to thank God for putting the right friends with you in the right place and right time.