Happenings...

Wow! So many great things have happened since my last blog entry! Lets see if I can cover some of the things....

My sweet cousin, Nikkie came in on the 21st and stayed with us for a week. It was her first trip to Haiti, and she loved it! It was such a blessing to have her here, especially for Thanksgiving. Kind of felt like old times...it was great. I miss Nikkie tremendously, already...but until we see her again, we'll be anxiously awaiting return! Come back soon Nikster!

My Mom and Nikkie both left yesterday for California. My Mom is going for a friend of ours wedding and also for a doctors appointment. They want to check if she's still cancer free. Please be keeping her in your prayers! Her appointmet is Tuesday, December 2nd.

Our MDL kids got up and prayed for her at 6am this morning. They walked up to the hill thats behind our house and prayed for her. People that live in the ravine joined them and also prayed for her. I couldn't get up at 6am this morning...but my dad, who went, told me it was really awesome.

At the moment, Renald and I are trying to put together a Christmas program that will be taking place the 20th of December. The MDL kids are going to be putting it on for the kids that live in the neighborhood and in the ravine. The program will consist of a Nativity skit, a dance put on by the girls, scripture reading, songs, and a hip hop dance that some of the boys and girls will do. Fritz will also we bringing forth the Gospel message. I am really excited about it! We're just praying that everything will get done that needs to get done and that Jesus will get the glory through it all!

Today, Denite, one of the girls from our girls home, came over to spend the day with us. She was having nightmares last night about her Dad dying. She woke up crying and was really sad all morning. She was really missing her family, especially her twin brother Zolo, so my Dad decided to take her to our house to just spend some time with us. Her and I talked and she told me a little bit about her family. Her mom passed away, but from what she knows, her Dad is still alive in the country side. She told me about her brothers and sisters and how old they were and how she and Zolo are the babies of the family. Her face would just brighten up whenever she talked about her twin brother. It was so sweet. She is such a beautiful girl! Her smile and laugh is SO contagious!

After we all ate lunch, I thought that it would be fun to make some Christmas cookies with Denite. I know it's still November and all, but I really felt like Christmas sugar cookies were calling our names! It had to be done. So Denite and I started making the cookies and we slowly pulled Caleb into it, too. We all had such a wonderful time! Denite couldn't stop laughing whenever Caleb would mess up his cookie or make it too small. She would just start cracking up and would just roll it up again and make him do it over. We had so much fun! Brooke, some of the little MDL kids and my little siblings decorated the cookies. I wasn't there when they decorated them, but when I got back, the cookies look amazing! Thanks Brooke! You're incredible!

Everyday I am reminded of God's love and faithfulness. Everday I just see His love through these beautiful children here. Everyday He amazes me...Just seeing Denite smile today and laugh just brought so much joy into my heart. This young girl used to beg on the streets, trying to get as much money as she can to bring back to her family. She used to dodge the cars that went by and when then would stop, she would go to their windows and ask for money or food. This little girl whose has been through so much, but yet she can still smile her beautiful smile and laugh out of the joy that is in her heart. You can just see Jesus' love on her. She is just so genuinely beautiful inside and out. She shines so bright! When I grow up I wanna be like her :)

Ephesians 5:1-2

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a sweet smelling-smelling aroma.

The Lord is still good...

I don’t even have words to describe today. It was so heart breaking, I don’t even know what to write. So I’m just going to let the Lord write this for me and I’ll just move my fingers...thats the best I can do.

This morning started off with my parents getting up early to go to a funeral. Zach, a good friend of ours and staff member at the boys home, mom passed away Sunday. We tried everything that we could to help her, but she was an elderly lady and Lord knew that it was her time to go...

While my parents and Ted and Lisa were at the funeral, I got the kids ready for school and fed them breakfast. While I was making breakfast, Alex from our boys home came upstairs and started talking to me. He told me that he was really scared because people keep having dreams of him dying. He said that just last night he had a dream that he was kidnapped and shot. I told him that he shouldn’t be afraid and that he’s not going to die and that we just need to be praying. Alex is such an amazing kid, I thought it was really bold of him to confess his fears like that.

Not too long after Brittany left to take the kids to school, Renald came over to the house and told me that a young boy that I knew from our neighborhood was shot last night. I had just seen him two days ago, walking down the street. I couldn’t believe that he was dead....He was only 17 years old. For business he used to transport people on his motorcycle, so we’re thinking that maybe he was shot by robbers for his bike. We still don’t really know the whole story.

After all these events, I really felt the need to really PRESS IN and PRAY. Death is a real thing. I think we just take our lives too lightly sometimes and don’t really think about what happens if we do die, and where we will go after. We never know when our time will be. So now is the time to get right with GOD and share the LOVE that he has for us.

Literally, not too long after the Lord had put this heavy burden upon my heart, I hear that 50 children died in a school that collapsed this morning. Fritz, another staff member at the boys home told my mom, Lucas and I this on the way to order food for tomorrow. So many deaths in one day! I couldn’t believe it...

A couple hours later, my mom, a couple of the teams members, Junior, one of the boys from our orphanage and Fritz and I went to help with the whatever was needed at the school. The traffic on the way there was terrible. Everyone was trying to make their way to the school, to either get their kids or see what was going on. One lady, while we were driving by, was wailing uncontrollably. She screamed out to us and said that her 3 children had died in the school. People were trying to calm her down, but she wouldn’t stop.
I tried to put myself in her shoes: Say I was mom and I had little children that I adored. Then one morning I kiss them goodbye and send them to school, just like every other day. Then I get news, all of a sudden that they have been killed because their school collapsed on them. What would my reaction be? I would probably wail just the same way that mother was doing and try to get to them as fast as I can. I don’t think anything would be able to keep me from running to see my children.

That woman broke my heart...after trying to put myself in her shoes, all I could do was cry. I could not even imagine how she felt...

We decided to take her in one of the trucks with us. She continued to wail. At one point I heard her say to someone not to send kids to school. She said she sent her kids to school and she could have used that money for food...now her children are dead. That lady will be in prayers...

There was a mob of people on the route to the school. We literally had to push our way through. It was crazy...but we did eventually make it there.

When we arrived, there was already a ton of medical workers, and UN officers there. They were only letting doctors and nurses into the collapsed school, so Doctor Eddie who came with us and Brooke James, a nurse that has been living at our girls home, went in to help. My mom, Fritz and Junior also got to go in, because they had medical supplies in their hands.

The rest of us waited outside the school, hoping for an opportunity to help. The guys on the team that came with us, helped remove rocks from the building that had collapsed. Lisa and I sat down for a couple minutes and saw two bodies get carried out from behind the building. The first person they carried out was an elderly lady...and I’m pretty sure she was dead. The next person they carried out was a young boy. When they carried him out, tears filled Lisa and I’s eyes...but then he opened his eyes! He looked shaken up and his leg was hurt badly, but the Lord Jesus spared his life. Praise God!

After seeing those two people carried out, Lisa and I began to pray. It was all we could really do that point. We prayed over the people in the building and the children who were still alive, trapped in there. We prayed for the families who had lost their precious children today and for the Lord to comfort them.

Later on, my mom told me that while she was inside the school, there were many doctors and nurses in there and everyone was making lots of noise. Every once in a while, one guy would yell, “Silence!” And everyone would be quiet. What he was doing was he was trying to hear the kids in rubbish. My mom said she could hear the kids crying...but no one could get to them. She said by the time they were about to go....she couldn’t hear the kids as much anymore.


Sometimes when things like this happen, we don’t really understand why. We just don’t get it...but the Lord knows all and He has purpose for everything. The Lord is STILL GOOD even through trials and tribulations. He is STILL GOOD even when terrible things happen. He is the same yesterday, today and FOREVER. This is what I had to keep telling myself over and over again today...

After we finished praying, Chris, a member from the team, told us it was time to go. We met some UN guys from Jordan on the way out. They really liked Ted and offered him a cigarette. Ted started laughing and told them he doesn’t smoke. They told us that UN guys from Jordan only die from two things...a bullet or smoking. We all started laughing. Those guys were so nice and helpful. They escorted Ted and Andrew, a member from our team, to the school. The mob wouldn’t let them in, so they brought them through. May the Lord bless them.

Getting back to our vehicle was a lot tougher than getting to the school. We had to work our way through mobs and mobs of people. I’m surprised that none of us got lost along the way. We all tried to stick close together and not get trampled by the hundreds of Haitians and UN officers. It was insane....

At one point along the way, we heard what sounded like a gun went off. Everyone broke out in a sprint. Hundreds of Haitians ran for their lives. Someone running behind me trampled on my sandals and they broke. I just kept running and left them behind. It was such a terrifying experience because I didn’t know how far away the sound was coming from. Everyone just kept running and all the team was spread out. I didn’t know where to hide, but thank the Lord Ted and I caught up to each other. We found out soon after we had all been running like maniacs, that it was tear gas that we had heard and everyone was running from it. It was one of those moments when you don’t know whether to laugh hysterically or cry. I pretty much laughed hysterically..... Lisa, Brooke and I could not stop laughing. It was the most terrifying, most funniest experience I’ve ever had.

People on the street kept asking me why I was barefoot, and all I could do was laugh. My cheep 4th of July sandals are no more....

We all made it back to our truck safely. Praise the Lord! The Lord is so good...He is so beautiful and amazing and sovereign. He loves us so much!

After this whole day, Jesus is STILL good and He always will be good. He wants us to turn to HIM and seek HIM during this time. Please continue to pray for these dear children and for the families that have lost their babies.

May the Lord Jesus Bless you all.

In Christ,
Ari

Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character, and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has given to us.

Matthew 10: 14
Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.