Sunday, January 17, 2010

Helping Haiti

I have never been much of a news reader/watcher and being in Honduras has made me even less aware of the happenings in the world. Allan sent me a email on Wednesday of a news article about Google. I tried to open up the link from nytimes.com, but it was luckily it was unsuccessful…and instead took me to the nytimes homepage revealing the sadness, destruction, chaos that has occurred in Haiti. I was amazed. I honestly do not know if I have ever seen pictures such as the ones I have been seeing since Wednesday. Honduran newspapers are not afraid to publish gory, bloody pictures (and maybe they are publishing these in the USA papers too, I don’t know!) and these pictures have continued to astonish me. I immediately wanted to do something to help these people. I just cannot imagine everything I know being taken from me, my family killed/injured, my home demolished, my city streets un-walkable, the hospital ruined, no power, no water….and the list continues. and I certainly cannot imagine a city/town having to recover from destruction like that, or the disease that is going to follow such a terrible disaster. I tried to imagine if something like that happened in Copan, what would the people do? It breaks my heart to think that the people in Haiti are similar to the people in Copan in terms of wealth, and just the devastation and long, long road that is ahead of them. I have questioned the Lord a lot this week on why this happened to Haiti? One of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. They already had SO little…and why this now? It just doesn’t make sense. But today, I was journaling and the Lord just reminded me that He is exactly that…the Lord. and He is in control. He knows those people. He feels for those people. He loves those people so incredibly much.

I am praying for Haiti. It doesn’t seem like much to do, when so much physical help is needed. I wanted to leave Copan and go and help, but then I realized that I cannot do that. The Lord has me here, but I can help from here. My class and I have talked everyday about Haiti and the earthquake there. My students and I started a “Helping Haiti” fund, and the kids are giving me their left over lunch money so I can donate it to the RedCross or some other organization that has people on the ground helping those people. I have been so proud of my students and their willingness to give.

I also read in the paper this morning about all of the countries that have joined together to help Haiti. It does excite me to see some many countries, so many different cultures, so many different languages coming together to help the poor and needy. I love that people can unite.  I am praying for the doctors, for the doctors families, for the nurses, firemen, people in the government, and the other mounds of people that are there helping. Most of all, I am praying that the Lord shines through this disaster and people come to know Him through it. Pray with me.

Isaiah 61:4     “They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks (people), foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers (doctors and nurses, etc.!)…therefore in their land, they shall possess a double portion, they shall have everlasting joy! For I the Lord love justice…I will faithfully give them their recompense, and will make an everlasting covenant with them".”

Smiles in 2 suitcases

Packing and luggage are such a pain. I, for one, hate to pack. I always wait until the last minute (right, mom?) and always try to fit way too many things into one bag. And paying for luggage on airplanes? Terrible. The rules are always changing, the allowed-poundage is always changing. Now people are just starting to bring suitcases as “carry-ons.”  I did not want to bring a bag back with me when I came back from Christmas. I packed a HUGE one leaving Copan full of things to leave in the States. I told Allan I was doing it so I would have less luggage to deal with when our time was up in Copan and plus “I’m leaving all of this stuff…so I won’t have a bag when we come back after Christmas!”…………….well……

About a month before Christmas I emailed my family and told them about this family with 5 sons and one mom. All of the boys go to Mayatan. They are in the 8th, 4th, 3rd, 3rd, and 1st grade. The ones in 4th, 3rd, and 1st grade are all almost the same height. Their mother works at Mayatan as a house cleaner. She cleans my classroom everyday. She gets to school early in the morning, and stays later than us, cleaning. She makes less than half of what we make a month…and has to feed 5 boys. They live in a 3 room house (kitchen and 2 rooms.) They also live with their grandfather. The boys don’t wear shoes. Allan teaches one of the boys (“Beto”), and this boy just adores Allan. He stays after school every day in Allan’s classroom talking with Allan and not letting Allan get anything done :). Allan doesn’t mind though, which is why I think this boy loves Allan. One day Beto didn’t come to school, which we later found out was because his shoes were broken and they couldn’t afford to buy more shoes. I emailed my family asking them to gather clothes, shoes, anything really that I could maybe bring back for this family. What showed up AMAZED ME!

My mom emailed my email to my Aunt Sharon, who teaches 5th grade at a school in NC. She told her class and WOW. The piles of clothes, underwear, shoes, socks, pants, blankets, etc. that showed up at my house left my breathless.

So much for not taking a suitcase back….and so much for only taking one suitcase back! All of the clothes were too much to fit into two huge suitcases! WOW! I had to leave some of it behind for my parents to bring in March! I have never been so excited to pack a suitcase. I actually started packing it 3 days early!

Delivering the suitcases was an unreal experience. I had to fight off tears about 4 or 5 times. The boys just kept pulling things out of the suitcases, showing me, showing Allan, showing their mom. They were so excited, so proud to have something new. They were so pumped about socks and underwear! Can you imagine? They kept trying on the shirts and pants…over their old ones! The oldest held up a pink polo shirt and said “I’m going to look sexy!” That made me laugh. It was just so awesome to get to be apart of that. I bet the boys have had some new things in their life, but I think it has been a long while. It was just so awesome. The next Monday, Marlon came to school in his new turtleneck, Memo came to school in his new shoes and, the youngest, Victor, showed me his new socks at school…accompanied by a huge smile! It was awesome.

So thank you so much to those of you who donated clothes, or anything. These boys were so excited. Seriously. I wish I could fully explain it and I wish each one of you could have been there to experience it. I left their house on cloud nine and in amazement of our Lord and how he does provide.  Thank you so much for your willingness to love others that you do not even know. Thank you for being the light of Christ for those boys and their mom.

James 1: 27 “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

DSC08585Opening the suitcases for the first time!

DSC08588Check out those hot new shirts! DSC08591 Pants?? REALLY! YAY! DSC08592  Shoes…no way! (by the way….this boy had come to my house the day before without shoes on…walking on dirt, rocks, and who knows what else through the town….so thankful they fit him!) DSC08593  DSC08594 DSC08595  Sitting in the suitcases without new shoes….DSC08598 Sitting in the suitcase with his new flip-flops!DSC08600 DSC08602  Like my turtleneck? DSC08605  The whole gang…looking “sexy” DSC08607  Beto with his new boxers…on his head! DSC08608   This is the “sexy” shirt! DSC08610 Putting on his new socks! DSC08612  Check out that gear! DSC08615  The whole gang again!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

We were so happy to get to go back home for Christmas and spend some time with our family and friends! I do love the good ole USA and all the comforts, paved streets, large grocery stores, and English speakers that are around.

I was so excited to go home! When we landed in ATL, I heard talk of the plane to RDU being cancelled and I was bummed. I didn’t want to believe it and then I received a text from my mom confirming the sad news! I just wanted to go home to NC! But…it ended up working out so much better. After waiting in a ridiculously long line to be re-booked, free-of-charge to the little town in GA where we were planning on driving to the next day for Allan’s cousins wedding! It was a crazy “welcome back to the USA” experience for me as we got picked up at the airport (in the freezing weather!) and driven to this gorgeous hotel with one of the biggest Christmas tree’s I have ever seen! I had a total of about 70 pounds of luggage with me, but NOTHING I needed for the wedding the next day (because I was planning on coming from NC!) Luckily, hotels have toothpaste, toothbrushes, deoterant, razors, and anything else you need for personal hygiene. Luckily women always bring more than one pair of shoes with them (because I was able to borrow a pair!) and luckily (and thankfully!) Allan’s mom was able to bring me a dress! The wedding was beautiful and it was fun to spend some time with Allan’s family. DSC08452

Getting back to NC was awesome. Christmas in the Hill house hold was a little bit different this year with 2 new little ones but I LOVED it! We could not stop talking about Honey Cate and Kessler and every little movement they made made us all laugh, say “awwww” and keep starring. :) It was super fun. We fought over who got to hold them and I normally won! (Praise the Lord!) I couldn’t choose which pictures to post :) Sorry!

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We had the annual “Hill Holiday Holla” party again this year and like always, its so nice to see old friends and catch up a little by the T.V. fire. I also love the 2 hours before the “holla” when we are all deciding how crazy we can dress. Honey Cate rocked some of my mom’s old clip-on stocking earrings. They were awesome. Drew wore some boxers with bells on the bottoms (unfortunately they are not in the family picture!). Blake, Natalie, and Ashley just looks good every year :) I’m so blessed to have such a fun family.

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Christmas Eve is also one of my favorite traditions…going to the Country to Aunt Anne’s house and eating her whipped cream/strawberry covered Angel Food cake that she makes especially for me. Below is a picture of my cousins and us with my Meemaw and Aunt Anne.

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My family does our “Christmas Day” on Christmas Eve so on actual Christmas day, I got to go to Augusta to meet Allan’s Grandma, “Ging-Ging” and hang out with his family. This was such a special time for me. I really loved meeting her and getting to spend Christmas with his family. Mother/Daughter relationships are so unique and getting to watch his mother love her mother was awesome. Thanks for letting me be a part of that!

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We made the drive back from Augusta on Christmas day too…and ate a wonderful Christmas dinner at Sonic…complete with pellet ice :)

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and the New Years Bash….Murder Mystery 2010. Thank you so much Mistopher and Blackberry “woman” for helping to organize the grand fiesta. It was awesome to be with friends (sadly enough, Allan couldn’t be there cause he was in SC!) and ring in the new year! We all knew Stephanie was the murderer all along…well maybe she didn’t know! 

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Hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years. I know this is way over due :) but better late than never!