Whoa.
February 2017 is as good as gone.
See how quickly I picked up on that?
The last time I was here (at this blog) was weeks ago. I was sharing the important need we have to find teachers for the 5 Lard kids in the fall of 2017.
The kids will say goodbyes with their current teacher, Miss Page, in June. She heads back to Texas to see about a boy. We fully support her decision and are so grateful for the 18 months of her life she dedicated to educating and loving and serving Isaac, Hope, Noah, Phoebe and Lydia.
We received a handful of great applications and I am planning to meet with folks face to face in April. (While already in the USA for Grandchild 3.0)
I started out with so much fear about this round of hiring. I convinced myself the kids will not have a teacher and we'll be stuck without a good plan to educate them and without the education and structure they are totally likely to become dangerous criminals in various local gangs and never learn to contribute a dang thing to society - and worst of all - it would all be on Troy for moving them away from North American school systems.
When I make up stories, I like to take them to their worst possible conclusion.
I also like to pretend that only Troy moved them here.
* * *
* * *
Noah and Isaac both went to Texas to help Paige after Abner's arrival. They desperately want Paige to say who was a bigger help. Paige refuses to give into their need to compete and says Isaac was amazing in different ways than Noah was amazing and that she enjoyed each of their individual gifting and welcomes them to come help at anytime in the future. We feel lucky to know they are capable of so much housework and are trying to figure out where the break-down in their skill level and passion happens when they set foot in their own home.
Life is full of mysteries. Add this one.
* * *
Last September (Sept. 2016) Troy stepped into the role of Director of Heartline Ministries. I stepped into a new role as Director of the Maternity Center. For eight years we watched the McHouls lead Heartline Ministries and thought we knew something about it. We are now six months into the steep learning curve and just starting to find our feet. The things we needed to learn and understand couldn't have been told to us without the weight of the responsibility also upon us. Managing employees and logistics and money and programs in a cross-culture context is a challenge we are up to - maybe more so now that we know what that actually means.
You pretty much need to do what you do not know how to do in order to learn how to do it.
I'm now wanting to go back to several of my former supervisors and just give them big high fives. I now know that grouchy and stern Anna-Marie at Covenant Manor Retirement home in Golden Valley, MN did not at all hate me, she did not even dislike me, she was just being the boss of a bunch of 14 to 16 year old waitstaff. Wherever you are, Anna Marie, I understand why you were never very warm to us. Good job getting the retired folks fed with your staff of flaky juveniles. I (retroactively) see you Anna-Marie.
Praise the Lawd, the Maternity Center employees zero juveniles. That fact is quite helpful when dealing with intense situations. The Maternity Center staff is now two Haitian Midwives, three Haitian Nurses (one of which has the most experience of all with L&D - so she seems more like a Midwife), three American midwives, and until mid May an American nurse named Rachel (speaks the language too!) is also here helping cover the work load, allowing better staffing while I go to Texas in April to see this grand baby make his entrance.
February was a short month. You maybe know this, but it only had 28 days. The Maternity Center welcomed 13 babies and assisted with two miscarriages in that short month. It was the best kind of busy. Thirteen February babies are alive and well and breastfeeding and with their Moms. We have several really difficult situations, some which were resolved in February and some that are on-going. For your prayers, we are incredibly grateful. We need them. We feel them. We appreciate them.
* * *
Links for International Women's Day ... A day to celebrate women that inspire us.
See my post here at Heartline's Blog.
I pray that you would be a woman who celebrates other women. I pray for fancy champagne glasses filled with sparkling apple juice around your table and milestones to celebrate. May you push back on that old lie that women are insecure and jealous by how you love and champion other women. I pray that you would be a voice of truth and boldness. I pray you would wrestle with your own story until you own it, body and soul, and have learned how to make it sing.
I pray for you to be a woman of possibility and hope, a woman who rises above cynicism and bitterness into a never-wearying never-backing-down resolution.
See the rest of this prayer for today here.
February 2017 is as good as gone.
See how quickly I picked up on that?
The last time I was here (at this blog) was weeks ago. I was sharing the important need we have to find teachers for the 5 Lard kids in the fall of 2017.
The kids will say goodbyes with their current teacher, Miss Page, in June. She heads back to Texas to see about a boy. We fully support her decision and are so grateful for the 18 months of her life she dedicated to educating and loving and serving Isaac, Hope, Noah, Phoebe and Lydia.
We received a handful of great applications and I am planning to meet with folks face to face in April. (While already in the USA for Grandchild 3.0)
I started out with so much fear about this round of hiring. I convinced myself the kids will not have a teacher and we'll be stuck without a good plan to educate them and without the education and structure they are totally likely to become dangerous criminals in various local gangs and never learn to contribute a dang thing to society - and worst of all - it would all be on Troy for moving them away from North American school systems.
When I make up stories, I like to take them to their worst possible conclusion.
I also like to pretend that only Troy moved them here.
* * *
Troy met Abner Emmanuel last week Tuesday. ^ See ^
He likes him just a little bit.
Last night Troy got away from the chaos and commotion of the rest of us and sat quietly in his rocking chair in the front room rocking Abner. I peeked out and saw that peaceful old man and truly, came dangerously close to dragging him upstairs and suggesting we make another baby right quick. Because dead sexy Grandpa cannot be resisted.
Paige and her two boys (and Noah) all got in last Tuesday afternoon. They will be here in Haiti with us until April 4th. This home has never really lacked activity and excitement per se, but now, with two-year-old Graham's high energy personality, and love of repeating the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over, we are taking activity and excitement to NEW levels and volumes.
The date for the arrival of grandson No. 3 is fast approaching. Our oldest daughter Brittany and her husband Chris expect their little guy in the first days of April. Lydia and I hope to make it to Dallas in time to be there for the big moment, we will leave Haiti with Paige and her boys on April 4. We will either arrive to see a delivery or arrive to see a new family member and both are pretty great options.
I do not know how any of this is possible but I have seen recent photos of Britt's tummy region - and I see the calendar - and these clues all point to it being time for another little person to join this Circus.
* * *
Noah and Isaac both went to Texas to help Paige after Abner's arrival. They desperately want Paige to say who was a bigger help. Paige refuses to give into their need to compete and says Isaac was amazing in different ways than Noah was amazing and that she enjoyed each of their individual gifting and welcomes them to come help at anytime in the future. We feel lucky to know they are capable of so much housework and are trying to figure out where the break-down in their skill level and passion happens when they set foot in their own home.
Life is full of mysteries. Add this one.
* * *
Last September (Sept. 2016) Troy stepped into the role of Director of Heartline Ministries. I stepped into a new role as Director of the Maternity Center. For eight years we watched the McHouls lead Heartline Ministries and thought we knew something about it. We are now six months into the steep learning curve and just starting to find our feet. The things we needed to learn and understand couldn't have been told to us without the weight of the responsibility also upon us. Managing employees and logistics and money and programs in a cross-culture context is a challenge we are up to - maybe more so now that we know what that actually means.
You pretty much need to do what you do not know how to do in order to learn how to do it.
I'm now wanting to go back to several of my former supervisors and just give them big high fives. I now know that grouchy and stern Anna-Marie at Covenant Manor Retirement home in Golden Valley, MN did not at all hate me, she did not even dislike me, she was just being the boss of a bunch of 14 to 16 year old waitstaff. Wherever you are, Anna Marie, I understand why you were never very warm to us. Good job getting the retired folks fed with your staff of flaky juveniles. I (retroactively) see you Anna-Marie.
Praise the Lawd, the Maternity Center employees zero juveniles. That fact is quite helpful when dealing with intense situations. The Maternity Center staff is now two Haitian Midwives, three Haitian Nurses (one of which has the most experience of all with L&D - so she seems more like a Midwife), three American midwives, and until mid May an American nurse named Rachel (speaks the language too!) is also here helping cover the work load, allowing better staffing while I go to Texas in April to see this grand baby make his entrance.
February was a short month. You maybe know this, but it only had 28 days. The Maternity Center welcomed 13 babies and assisted with two miscarriages in that short month. It was the best kind of busy. Thirteen February babies are alive and well and breastfeeding and with their Moms. We have several really difficult situations, some which were resolved in February and some that are on-going. For your prayers, we are incredibly grateful. We need them. We feel them. We appreciate them.
* * *
Links for International Women's Day ... A day to celebrate women that inspire us.
See my post here at Heartline's Blog.
I pray that you would be a woman who celebrates other women. I pray for fancy champagne glasses filled with sparkling apple juice around your table and milestones to celebrate. May you push back on that old lie that women are insecure and jealous by how you love and champion other women. I pray that you would be a voice of truth and boldness. I pray you would wrestle with your own story until you own it, body and soul, and have learned how to make it sing.
I pray for you to be a woman of possibility and hope, a woman who rises above cynicism and bitterness into a never-wearying never-backing-down resolution.
See the rest of this prayer for today here.
