The Lord Gives Strength and Peace

I roll over sleepily and sit up. Beside our bed Alexander is wailing in his bassinet. Already showing a lot of similarities to his two older brothers, he, like them, is an active little guy. Legs and arms flailing he howls to be fed; patience is something none of them were born with apparently!

I lift him out to nurse him and he immediately quiets down. Cradling him tenderly in my arms I look at my third son in wonder. Dark tendrils of silky hair curl over baby soft skin; his serious blue eyes, shrouded by dark lashes and brows, focus intently on the task at hand: to fill his tummy as quickly as he can! Since I’m not wearing a watch I am not certain exactly what the time is, but my guess is it’s around 2:30 a.m.. 

With my baby snug in my arms, I let my thoughts wander to the weeks gone by. With Alexander’s birth and then shortly after Jason’s back injury due to an ATV accident; these past weeks have marked the absolute busiest time in my life. Taking care of a newborn, his two active brothers and his crippled father has kept me on my toes from early morning to all hours of the night. Still, it’s been a blessed time too; a time where I’ve had to rely on my heavenly Father immensely. 

Even now, in the stillness of the night, the words God directed me to prior to Alexander’s birth flood my heart once again. “The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace. For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” (Psalm 29:11 & Psalm 84:11) 

In the times when I felt too exhausted and stressed to go on, when I didn’t think I could do one more thing, He was there, giving me the strength and peace of mind to do what needed to be done. He supplied all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:19)

Getting "back" to Normal

We are thankful that Jason's back has steadily been getting better each day.  He is now off most of the medication, and is doing physiotherapy every other day!  Although progress has seemed to be slow, and it has been incredibly difficult for Jason to sit still and do nothing the past couple weeks, we are also thankful that we are in a place where he can receive the care needed before returning to Haiti.

We hope, the Lord willing, to return to Haiti at the end of this month, with a stop over in Florida where Jason can continue some more treatment, as well as get signed off by a US medical doctor so he can return to work at the appropriated time.

Please continue to pray for our family as we adjust to having a newborn baby, are beginning to pack up all of our belongings to return to Haiti, and for continued healing for Jason's back.

Love Endures All Things

I reach deep into the foul smelling trash can and pull out a piece of rotting tomato. With two boys in diapers, the aroma emanating from the bin is overpowering. It’s 9:45 p.m. on a warm summer night and there are a thousand things I’d rather be doing. Somewhere in this trash bin, however, may be the missing slip of paper needed to pick up Alexander’s new passport, so I have little choice but to continue to dig. Besides me, Jason, with three broken vertebrae in his back and in real need of a rest, faithfully holds open a trash bag; his willing presence a much needed encouragement. 

Growing up, my brothers often teased me about my naive dreams of romance, love and marriage. I imagined my prince charming holding my hand, taking me on romantic walks and showering me with gifts of chocolates and roses. And of course we’d have a fairy tale wedding and live happily ever after. 

Reality wasn't quite like I imagined, however, especially not tonight. I slap at a mosquito as the sun disappears and darkness creeps in. One by one I gingerly pull out dirty diapers, cracked egg shells and rotting refuse and transfer them over to the trash bag my husband is holding. Still no envelope with the missing slip of paper. The deeper I dig, the nastier it gets. Maggots, their squirming bodies wriggling to and fro, devour the garbage. I look at Jason and we both grimace. Disgusting. 

We really need that paper however, and I have a niggling feeling that I threw the envelope in the trash, not knowing what it was. Since we’ve already searched the house from top to bottom this is really the only place left it can be. 

Finally, right at the bottom, I see it. I grasp the envelope and lift it up for Jason to see with a shout of victory. We both smile. 

I think I love him more at this moment than ever before. Anyone can spend a few dollars on chocolates and roses, and enjoy romance and love when the going is easy, but it takes a real prince to be there when life isn't so rosy. To stand there, with a broken back, getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, while his grubby princess digs through the trash, just to show he cares.

1 Cor 13:7 Love: endureth all things.