Minnesota Happenings

I feel peppier today. I wish we could fall back every single night! (the peppiness did not result in clear/organized thinking, but it still felt good)

We had a great time celebrating Britt's graduation yesterday. The ceremony was made so much more special because our cousins who can sing (beyond anything American Idol ever serves up) did two songs and our Uncle delivered the commencement address. The MC was a cute guy that goes by Grandpa, Papa and Dad. Noah made a brief appearance when he chose to go to the stage and get on a microphone just for kicks. The slide show that Troy put together was on the long side (it is hard to chose photos to sum up almost 18 years) but well-received. A few folks who could not make it asked about putting the slide show on the blog, we will try to figure that out for you. I also have some photos to post when time allows. Thankfully, I watched it enough times that I did not need to cry watching it yesterday.

Troy and I want to thank Dianne, Tori, Brenda and Nate (and kids) -- along with Pastor Rich and Karen, for the help you gave us setting up and tearing down. You are amazing friends and your servant hearts blow us away. Thanks to all of you who helped with food too! I am told that the Ham Sandwiches were far above average and not all that tiny really. Thanks to the Larsons for taking some of our troop for the weekend.

We were also really excited that you came Karla and girls! Karla is a friend that I made back in the Precious in His Sight adoption days in 2002. Her twin girls were together with Hope and Isaac in the orphanage. They are all big Kindergartners now.

We hope to meet with a friend from church who is also a realtor this week. The market is terrible but we're trusting that God will direct either the SALE of our house or we will still come up with a renter. Our hearts are for Haiti and quite honestly, IN Haiti. We still think that is where God wants us but we just need Him to confirm that by clearing up the house issue. We did not anticipate losing our renter, but God knew and we believe He also knows what the next step is, we're just waiting to see what that is.

Now that the main objectives of having Lydia, helping Britter find a school, and having her grad party are complete we are ready to head south and get back into the groove of life in Haiti. In so many ways life is simpler there. We miss it!

I found out this week that I will be able to share about Haiti at the church my parents attend in Southern Texas the first Sunday in December. Mom (and Dad) are flying Paige and I down for that and a fun birthday treat for Paige's 13th birthday late this month.

Troy is set to go back to Haiti January 1, we just need to decide which kids will go with him and which ones will stay back and wait for me to get Britt settled in at Baylor. Tess is all set to join us for four and a half months, we are blessed by her desire to help.

Thanks for checking in on us today. We hope you're well and that if there is something we can be praying about in your life, you will let us know.

Much Love-
Tara for all

"God's work, done God's way, will never lack God's supply."
-Hudson Taylor, Missionary to China

the glory of rainy days

Taken from AWWY ... by Run Hutchcraft

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Philippians 3:10. Paul talks about his magnificent obsession. It's the obsession really of his whole life in Christ. He says, "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings." Here's a Christian with a restless heart - the kind we all ought to have. He wants to have a real conscience sense of the presence of Christ as he moves through his day. Now as I read this, I read the part about, "the power of His resurrection." I said, "Oh, I want that part! I love the power part." Then I find out how you get the power, because the next phrase says, "That I might know the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings." We know from Jesus' life - no Easter unless there's a Good Friday.

The more it rains in your life, the greener you get spiritually, the more alive. That's what rain does, that's what pain does, and that's what suffering does. It's the greening of us. You might need to know that right now because, man, is it raining in your life. You're going through a very long, very stormy time, and maybe it's been a while since you've seen the sun.

Consider Saudi Arabia. It almost never rains there. Is that good? Well, my wife has something on the refrigerator that says, "All sunshine makes a desert." And a life without rain is a desert. The most precious moments in your relationship with Jesus Christ come when the clouds are covering the sun. When your resources can't do a thing about that need, when very few people seem to care, or no one seems to understand or able to understand, those are the times when we collapse in the arms of Jesus. We live on the promises that we usually just quote.

And maybe you've been going through a particularly hard time lately. What's the result? I bet you've been praying more, and more intensely than ever. When I'm going through those times, my awareness of God's activity in my day is greatly intensified. I need Him so much during those hard times that I'm looking for His love, I'm looking for His involvement all day long. So guess what? I'm seeing Him more. And I'm beginning to tap into the power of His resurrection.

Paul says, "I want to know Christ. I want to know His power." And really in a figurative sense, I want to be spiritually green, I want to be alive, I want to be healthy, I want to be growing. It's not the sunshine that does that so much as the rain, and the pain, and the suffering. Are you going through a hard time? Well, let this hard time not drive you away from the Lord; not drive you into discouragement, but drive you deep into the love of Jesus and deep into His enabling grace. You may never get to enjoy the rain, but you can love what the rain is doing.

This post is more for us than for anyone else. If you like it too, that's great.

We're pretty tired and emotional. We've been worried about what God is doing with our house, struggling to juggle kids and responsibilities and money in America, and very tired of everyone being unhealthy.

This devotional served to remind us to "tap into the power of His resurrection." All sunshine makes a desert. We want to be growing. We're trying to see "the rain" for what it is; an opportunity to drive deep into the love and grace of Jesus and to grow.

Look who's One!

HAPPY 1st Birthday Phoebe Joy!

(Phoebe is sick today, please pray that both she and Hope are better soon.)

Can I get a YeeHaw?

Hey Y'all -

We made it! I'm not gonna lie, it was exhausting ... From start to Finish ... But our 36 hours in the great state of Texas proved to bring Britt to a place of decision.

We're happy to be back and glad we made the trip. We managed to miss out on Phoebe's diarrhea issues and Hope's vomiting all in those short 36 hours.

Fast facts of little or no interest to most people ... but of GREAT interest to me:

• Baylor is the oldest institution of higher learning in Texas
• Waco, TX is where DrPepper was created. (The girls in this family are all Peppers, so this excites us. The museum was highly entertaining.)
• Baylor is one of the largest Christian schools in the nation - the largest Baptist University in the world
• 75% of all Snickers bars produced are produced at the Mars/M&M plant in Waco, TX
• Baylor has two real-live bears that live on campus and go to sporting events
• Waco is often known for the 1993 siege on David Koresh and the Branch Davidians, but Britt is too young to even know what I was referring to when I made a reference to it. I guess that makes me old.

None of these are the reasons Britt liked Baylor, she is far too intelligent for such nonsense. She had a great meeting with the pre-med department and had an opportunity to really check things out.

We wanted to prove to Lydia (someday) that she was part of this big moment in Britt's life. She could not have been better for us, she slept and was very flexible while we took her in and out and in and out of her carseat. She is all about seeing the world. Thank you Lord for a mellow baby!

TX - Here we come - Hat and all

This photo is just a glimpse at the near future, a little foreshadowing. The ugly faced cry has been avoided up until this point.

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When Amie was in town visiting in September we agreed NOT to discuss Britt's departure. Any time someone brings it up I just request we not talk about it.

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Tomorrow we are leaving at an ungodly hour to catch a flight to Dallas. We'll hop in a car and be in Waco by 11am. Once we're there Britt will get excited, she'll start making plans and signing official documents and I will look something like Hope did in this photo from 2003. I don't even care who sees me. We will be back in MN by Thursday night, hopefully I can pull myself together by then. But I doubt it.

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Today Troy took Phoebe to get that eye thing checked out. I was going to go along but as we discussed what still needs to happen before tomorrow it became clear that dividing would be better.

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We've not said much about Troy's condition ... Because who wants to read about horrible rash problems? Not you. Not me. But at this point it seems that prayers may be the best option for the poor guy and we're not sure anything else but the Lord's intervention will help him. Not that I want you to see it, but if you did see his rash, you would gasp. It is VERY bad looking and he is constantly itching. Two oral treatments and two topical treatments and still no relief. The problem is not only the itching. The problem is that we are married. Maybe that came out wrong. Being married is NOT the problem ... We like each other. The problem is, we have not slept in the same bed for 60 some days. We're like Ricky and Lucy, some sort of throwback to the 1950's and that is not really our thing.

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We're not sure if they misdiagnosed him or what the deal is. He called the Travel Specialty, weird diseases clinic yesterday but they have not called back to get him an appointment yet. Please pray that it ends. He is understandably very sick of being uncomfortable. He also misses having a real bed. It is getting colder in MN so cuddling would be nice. The combination of being too busy to speak to one another at length, and not sharing a bed ... Well, it is leaving us feeling like we're sort of co-workers managing a business --- and not married people. Waaaah wah. Done whining now.

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We're praying that Britt either LOVES or HATES the school tomorrow and that she has such clear peace about it that one way or the other she knows what to do. Troy and I are hopeful that there is one dormitory that allows parents to track their children with some version of GPS from abroad and know each time the child leaves the building or moves a muscle. If it exists, that is where she will live.

From "A Slice of Life To Go"

In The End
October 28th, 2007

Some time ago during one of my kids’ elementary school events I was walking the halls observing the latest student created art and literary projects displayed on the walls. One was by some third graders who were given the assignment to write about what they thought their future would look like. All were entertaining to read, yet a boy named Ryan penciled one that grabbed my attention.

“When I grow up I am going to be the world’s greatest hockey player. Then I will be a famous scientist, marry a perfect wife and have 5 kids. In the end, I will die.”

Being a strong believer in the value of a liberal arts education, I appreciated his understanding that he can indeed excel in both hockey and science. With the right approach he can transition his career from slap shots and body checks to titrations and electron microscopes. And I loved his innocent naiveté in believing that there exists such a creature as a “perfect wife” (or husband). A precocious kid like Ryan may be well on his way to accomplishing everything on his list, though someday that “have 5 kids” thing will require some serious co-operation from his perfect wife.

However it turns out for him, he nailed one truth to the wall.
“In the end, I will die.”

I can’t help but think if Ryan keeps that fresh in his head, everything that comes before the end will be rich for him.

When we acknowledge each day that there is an end to life on earth, it helps us live with a sense of purpose.

According to the actuarial table used by the United States Social Security Administration, my life expectancy extends another 33.28 years.

http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/STATS/table4c6.html

I can probably add several years for not being a smoker, a drinker or recreational drug user. And the family genetics indicate that 80 plus years is a good possibility. But my cholesterol and blood pressure are a little on the high side, I tend to worry too much and wherever I go I seem to be surrounded by crazy drivers. So it’s probably a wash. All things considered, if I escaped city traffic and moved to North Dakota, I could probably fire up a Cohiba, start drinking Guinness and still come out ahead. But I’m an average guy and the average 44-year old guy lives another 33.28 years.

I’ve never been good at math. But I can see the obvious. Statistically speaking, my life is more than half over. That in itself is sobering. Not that 44 is old. But it isn’t 34. Or 24. Or 12. It’s 44. I’m closer to the end than I am the beginning.

We’ve all heard or been posed the hypothetical question, “If you knew you only had a year to live, what would you do?” Such a question sends us rushing to prioritize. What’s worth my time? What’s not? What would I do more of? What would I do less of? What would I not do at all?
Of course, the follow up question is, “If there’s things you’d do more and less of if you knew you only had a year to live, why aren’t you living that way now?” Junk mail is junk mail, right? Opening it is a waste of time whether we have terminal cancer or have another 50 years on the planet. That the people in your life know you care about them is important all the time. So why wait for a tragedy to say “I love you”? Especially when telling them now will enrich the relationship for whatever time you have left?

The “what would you do if you knew you had a year to live” question is a healthy exercise if it reminds us to live with purpose. The danger lies in thinking the question is hypothetical. Because whatever the Social Security Administration’s actuarial table says about our life expectancy, there’s a more important statistic to keep in front of us.
1 out of 1…dies.

It’s just a matter of when.

There’s a difference between living with a sense of panic and living with a sense of urgency. The former is based in fear. The latter flows from confident purpose. God desires that we live with a sense of urgency because He created us for a purpose.

In Psalm 139 God tells us that He “had all our days written down in His book before there was yet one of them.” And in Ephesians 2:10 God says that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works that He has prepared in advance that we should walk in them.” Simply put, we can live out each day knowing that God has our life in His hand. He has a plan for us. A life of good works that He has prepared for us to do. If we live fully each day, how much time we have left becomes irrelevant. Because all we can do is make the most of the time God grants us.

And He grants us one day at a time.

So whatever you’d do more of and less of, start doing it and not doing it. Live with a sense of urgency.

Thank God for writing all your days down in His book.
Then ask Him to help you make the most of this one called “today”.

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” - Psalm 90:12

Phase One Complete & Gotcha Day

We're not really sure how it happened ... but that room is only half as full as it was 72 hours ago. Woot. It's amazing how much easier it is to purge after not seeing things for two years. Lydia did a lot of resting, and was not too helpful. But Britt, Paige, Troy and I all sorted for most of 10 hours on Sunday.

This conversation took place over and over:

"Do I need this?"

"Have you needed it in the last two years?"

"No."

"Well then you probably don't need it ever."

"But, will I use it sometime in the future?"

"Has you life been empty and void of meaning without it?"

"No."

"Then you probably don't need it."

"Okay. You're probably right."

(Troy does not need his National Honor Society pins and memorabilia from 1991 & 1992 and I do not need every single piece of artwork that Britt or Paige ever made. We also don't really need 14 pairs of jeans in one size smaller and one size larger.) The two pack-rats of our family are Troy and Paige. We were all very proud of the moves they made to separate themselves from their stuff this weekend.

It feels good to have a handle on what is actually in the room. The Goodwill became familiar with our faces this weekend. We've had a few calls on the house, but no renter yet. Our current renter has another month left, we're praying that November brings the perfect new people and that they want to move in in December or by January 1.

Over the weekend Lydia's social security card and Birth Certificates came in the mail. We were able to go apply for her passport this morning. The logistics of taking a passport photo of a baby are just a little more difficult than you might imagine. The baby must have eyes open, be facing the camera straight on, and have a white background without any hand or assistance showing in the photo. The photo was captured by laying the white board on the floor, poking her to wake her up, holding her hands down at her side and timing it right ... before she turned her head to the side to look for milk. After all, the only reason she has to be awake is to eat. At three and a half weeks of age she feels like she needs to have more freedom to up and leave if she gets bored or disgusted with her surroundings. Being stuck in Minnesota feels very limiting to her. When she found out it will still be six to eight weeks before she can bail out of here, she threw a gigantic tantrum ... can you imagine waiting until you're ten weeks old to be able to travel abroad? The injustice. At least she is going to Texas on Wednesday to visit Baylor and make sure she agrees it is the place for Britt. That should serve to cure her of her itch to see more of the world. ;-) Britt is glad to have Lydia's input as well.

FIVE YEARS AGO TODAY, Hope and Isaac became USA citizens when they landed in Miami and became official.

It is still one of the most surreal days of our lives. The same time that we landed in Miami and made the kids official, a boat of Haitians arrived on shore illegally. When we got to our hotel room, emotionally high (and drained,) we turned on our TV to see the live coverage. It was so sad to see the desperation of all the people running to hide to try and stay in the USA, and knowing that Hope and Isaac had just escaped ever feeling that desperate.

Tonight we're going out for pizza to celebrate the wonderful, exciting, and never boring five years with them. God is good.

Yippeee

Found-

My wedding ring!

It WAS in a box, buried in that room ... inside a coffee mug filled with loose change, nails, and paperclips. Even if only 1/8th of the work is completed in that terrible room, yesterday was a success.

We're headed back there again today.

Blech.

Weekend

Last year at this time, we were dealing with this ... seems like a loooong time ago to me.

Jamie and Sharon, just reading it and looking at all we did that week together makes us miss you both so much!!!!

This weekend I'll be alternating between sorting out a 10X11 room with boxes stacked almost to the ceiling and keeping the dairy business fully operational for Lydie B. Ike, Hope, Noah & Phoebes are all staying away from this room with capable baby-sitters. It will be easier to get rid of their stuff if they're not watching us do it. I hope to be able to finish by mid day Monday.

Here's to clear thinking and no emotional outbursts.

Have a great weekend!

Stealing Blog Material

I read this on the Providence Blog today, LOVED it ...

I was regretting the past and fearing the future. Suddenly my God was speaking, My name is I AM. He paused. I waited. He continued. When you live in the past, with its mistakes and regrets, it is hard. I am not there. My name is not I WAS. When you live in the future, with its problems and fears, it is hard. I am not there. My name is not I WILL BE. When you live in this moment, it is not hard. I am here. My name is I AM.

Party Planning 101

There was a time in my life where I planned huge parties for a living. I often worked with five or six brides at one time and also dealt with multiple corporate parties and events all at once. I managed to remember everything and even found it boring and simple at times.

Yesterday, I stood in Party City and could not pick out a paper plate. The choices were vast. 8" or 10" clear, white, green or yellow would all work. Paper or plastic? I managed to choose a lovely clear plastic fork and brought my selection to the counter. As I stood thinking how stupid it was not just to decide on a plate and buy them, I notice the cart in front of me. That lady was buying a bunch of plastic cups. I consulted my list. No cups on the list. I had walked past them in the store, I have beverages planned for the grad party ... yet, the cups never made the written or mental list. Are we not supposed to improve at things as we get older? How does a person lose a skill like organization and planning?

This is a symptom of some greater problem. I am currently incapable of thinking straight and/or planning ahead. For example, on October 12th Hope came home from school, tossed her backpack in her room and then did not have school at all last week. This Monday, it occurred to me that I should check her backpack for notes. Sure enough, there were notes AND homework (no time to do it between 8:45am when I found it and 9:00am when they had to be to school) AND an invitation to a birthday party. FUN! An invite. I was excited for her. My excitement was short lived, the party had taken place two days earlier.

This is our life right now. A day late and a dollar short. Or, in this case two days late... and many cups short.

If you are coming to Britt's party next weekend, please BYORFWTD. (bring your own receptacle from which to drink) And if you wish to invite Hope (or any other child) to your home, don't assume that the parents will ever see the invitation, give us a call instead.

Halloweenies

For the first time in more than 20 months, we took our kids (6 of them) to a kid-type event. Shocking? Daring? Impressive? All of the above! There are not a lot of ECFE Community type parties in LaDigue. So, we mustered up all of our energy, bravery and might and headed into town. The decision was sealed once we saw that they did not charge a per person fee, but just $10 per family. They lost money on us. You know a Dutch person loves that.

It was called a "very un-scary Halloween party" and the costumes had to be "friendly." We happened to have the same costumes that Paige, Ike, Hope, and Noah wore in 2004 ... SCORE, everybody moved up to the next costume and we were in business. (Photo from 2004 below.) Lydia got nothing out of it. She was totally bored and unimpressed. But the other kids had fun, even Paige. Pounding golf tees into pumpkins is very very fun to three year old boys.

Halloweenies of Yesteryear

2004

In the absence of blogging material ...

... Post photos.

Isaac and Hope late 2003

Phoebe today ...

Divide and ...

I would not call it "Divide and Conquer" -- it is more like, "Divide and do your very best to stay patient and loving and focused and not melt-down and not snap at your spouse." Not quite as catchy as 'divide and conquer,' but it works.

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We're busy splitting up kids and trying to get everything done. It is amazing we're sort of pulling it off given the fact that I pretty much spend 21 hours a day feeding Lydia, who really likes to eat.

I am a milk-delivery system and nothing more.

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Each day we wake up and say, "Okay, I will take this one to do this, you take that one here. Later when that one needs to nap you can go get this done and then after that if you could be here I could take this one over to see these two at their event. Then I will get home before you and I can get those ones ready for bed and then when you get home you can deal with that one thing with that kid." AAAAAGGGGHHHH.

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I asked Britt last night if it bummed her out to look up into the stands and see her mother nursing her baby sister at a swim meet (covered up by a blanket mind you!) She said, "WHAT??, am I EIGHT or something!??? Of course not!"

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This weekend we have an entire weekend with access to our home while the renter is closing on her new house out of town. The children are divided and we will spend every waking hour making piles to either, sell, give-away, or store. I am hoping this is the weekend that I find my wedding ring in that dreaded room. It also better be the weekend that something actually begins to resemble organized -- once and for all!

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Yesterday the guys called from the mission to say they had no electricity. In all honesty, my initial reaction was, "Yeah, so - it is Haiti ... deal with it." Then I realized that if it were ME without electricity, I would call for help too. Such a jerky American I am sometimes. Troy managed to fix the problem over the phone and everyone was back in business quickly.

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Britt found out she was accepted at her first choice school, we're scrambling to plan a two day trip there next week to try and get it all nailed down. She may be headed to Baylor to be a Bear ... time will tell I guess. Let the weeping and gnashing of teeth begin.

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Thank you so much for your prayers and kind words. We appreciate it so much. Have a terrific day, the SUN is shining in MN. :)

Graduation Announcement

With thanks to God for His

leading in her life and education

we joyfully announce the

High School Graduation of our daughter

Brittany Rachelle

Please join us for a brief ceremony

on Saturday, November 3, 2007 at 10:30 a.m.

Followed by a celebration

Open House 11am - 2pm

New Joy Church

12825 Tucker Road Rogers, Minnesota

If you are in the area on the 3rd, please stop by for a tiny, yet delicious, Ham Sandwich on us. We would love to have you! RSVP via email at TL7inHaiti@yahoo.com

Nada

Everyone is starting to get over their nasty colds. We're VERY tired of the snot and coughing. I especially enjoyed stocking up on every variety of cough medicine only to come home and turn on the news report that said, "Children's Cough Medicine being pulled from store shelves, proven not to help children under 6." I still say it works. And I happen to own a lot of it.

Troy has a Barry White voice, alternating with NO voice. It is very sexy.

We have nothing much to report today. Troy and Phoebe got in early this morning from Michigan. They went right to bed and are still sleeping. Thank you to all of you who helped him with Phoebe, welcomed them both, and showed them such amazing hospitality. He said he thought he had been properly exposed to a Dutch community now. He thought he had seen as many windmills as he could see when visiting my relatives; but that was proven to be untrue. He might change our last name to VanderLivesay just to fit in better next time. He was also really happy to meet a lot of spouses of many of the people we've met in Haiti. All spouses received high marks from him. :-)

News Link

Haitian Slavery Uncovered in South Florida

Our experience with this topic:
Many, maybe most Haitians, don't find this to be a problem. Some of our employees grew up with a Restavek in their home. A few even have one now. When we suggest that this is a form of abuse and slavery they look at us like we're nuts. Changing a cultural mind-set is not easy ... and maybe not possible???????

I know there are a few Haitian readers, I would love to know what you think.

John Robert Cadet, mentioned in this story, wrote a memoir worth reading if you're interested in this topic. It is both heartbreaking and eye opening.

Old Photo

June 2002 visit to Haiti, Isaac (9 months) and Hope (6 months)

Feature Story

HAM LAKE TIMES

October 19, 2007

Staff Writer – B.True

SUPER-BRAVE DAD DOES IT AGAIN

Just three weeks after conquering multiple airports, countless security check-points, and Customs at Miami International; Super-Dad Troy Livesay, temporarily of Ham Lake, re-packed his bags and his daughter Phoebe and headed to Minneapolis St. Paul International to fly the friendly skies again today.

Passengers on the flight from MSP to GRR all smiled sweetly as they tried not to stare slack-jawed in amazement at how well Troy handled his 11 and a half month old daughter.

Lois Smith was quoted as saying, “That man is a machine. He seems to be totally unfazed by the large eleven month old strapped to his back. He handles his child, carry-on and coat as if he is built of steel.”

Another passenger noted, “He seems to be dealing with a bad rash and is constantly scratching as if insane, yet he still smiles and handles his active daughter with patience.” That same passenger speculated that Livesay carried some 75 pounds on his rashy body as he paced the concourses in order to keep Phoebe happy.

We caught up with Troy as he boarded the plane. When asked what motivates him, he said “I love my wife and I want her to stay as sane as she can be. A 2 week old nursing baby and a teething 11 month old baby just don’t mix.”

When asked what flying with his daughter had taught him, Troy said, “Well two things really. One, Sky Mall Magazine is not just for shopping, it is edible too. Phoebe loves the taste. And two; people who really liked you and even found you and your child cute prior to boarding the plane, can turn on you like that (snaps fingers for emphasis.)

To see Livesay in action, visit the Grand Rapids airport Friday or Monday. Troy also specializes in tiny little airplane bathroom diaper changes and ridiculously cramped seating entertainment of toddlers.