Monday Aug 9 Haiti adventure day 2 part 9

outside of My Heart's Home
Originally uploaded by missy Nickie

The house is not real far from the Haiti Home Depot. We went up the worst dirt road ever, around a sharp corner, and up some more. The road is more like a very rocky two-track.
The house is HUGE!

In this pic are the table and benches we made while there.

Monday Aug 9 Haiti adventure day 2 part 9

Haitian art dealer
Originally uploaded by missy Nickie

Traveling through the business district was awesome! Eddie said a lot of the women sell their used clothing to make $ to support their families. I wanted to get out and shop but we kept moving. We past many Haitian art dealers.

Monday Aug 9 Haiti adventure day 2 part 8

man fixing road
Originally uploaded by missy Nickie

I saw a few men repairing some potholes with rubble from the quake!

Monday Aug 9 Haiti adventure day 2 part 7

road
Originally uploaded by missy Nickie

After we left the mattress factory, we went to the store for water. Libby, Gerald, Eddie’s daughter, and I stayed in the car. Poor Steve was still out in the trailer, baking in the sun! After the grocery store, we had one more stop…the Haitian version of Home Depot. This place too had armed guards. I saw many U.N. soldiers.

We have nothing to complain about, when it comes to the roads in the States. Haitian roads are very bad. IDK if it is from the quake or if they were always like that.

Monday Aug 9 Haiti adventure day 2 part 6

libby & edy's daughter @ matteress factory
Originally uploaded by missy Nickie

By this time we had picked up Eddie’s daughter from school. She’s eight and will be on summer break soon. The earth quake delayed school for a few months. This is Libby March playing with her at the mattress factory.

Monday Aug 9 Haiti adventure day 2 part 5

scrapyard
Originally uploaded by missy Nickie

The mattress factory was in the same compound as the local scrap yard. It was a locked facility with armed guards. As we drove in, two large trucks, one on each side passed us. I could have touched the truck on my side, just by reaching out the window just a few inches. Gerald laughed when I said, “WOW!”

Monday Aug 9 Haiti adventure day 2 part 4

road traffic
Originally uploaded by missy Nickie

cars trying to get in your spot. At least you never go every fast!

Monday Aug 9 Haiti adventure day 2 part 4

taptap
Originally uploaded by missy Nickie

Steve rode is Eddy’s trailer, which is only a little bigger than our 4-wheeler trailer. Haitian traffic is INSANE! More controlled chaos! People riding in or on tap-taps

Monday Aug 9 Haiti adventure day 2 part 3

manwheelbarrow
Originally uploaded by missy Nickie

We had to wait for Pastor Ron, Steve, and Eddie. The propane guy wouldn’t take US $ only Haiti. This man is carrying what I assume is all of his belongings.

Monday Aug 9 Haiti adventure day 2 part 2

tent comm by airprt
Originally uploaded by missy Nickie

As you can see they are so close together. There is very little room to walk between the tents.

Monday Aug 9 Haiti adventure day 2 part 1

tent comm by airport
Originally uploaded by missy Nickie

We arrived in Haiti around 10:00 am. Eddie picked us up. He could only take 4 of us plus the luggage. So Lonna, Ciera, Lonnie, and Peggy went with the luggage. Pastor Ron, Libby, Steve, Gerald, and I waited for Eddie to back and pick us up. The airport in Port Au Prince is a busy, BUSY place! Nothing like the airports in the State: it’s small and controlled chaos! (more chaos not so much control!)
Baggage pick up is “every man for himself!” There are no carousels! The luggage goes from the plane to the back of a truck. Then it’s driven to the airport and unloaded onto the floor. 100’s of people picking through luggage on the floor.
Outside the airport is almost as chaotic and even less control. There are men who push their way to you so they can push your luggage carts. “I help you”.
We waited for what seemed like forever. Eddie finally came. We had to go shopping for the matteresses the 9 of us were to sleep, and a few other things.
Just as we were leaving the airport there is a tent community.

Haiti Adventure Day 1

Sunday Aug. 8

We left Mt. Pleasant around 2:30 am. I road in Pastor Ron’s car with 4 guys, 3 of which I’ve never met. It was an interesting ride to Detroit. All they talked about was cars, assembly line work…oh and we did some Bible trivia as we approached the airport.

At the airport we weighed our luggage. Some of which was over weight. The weight limit was 50 pounds, so Lonna took charge and took a few things out of the over weight bags and added them to my under weight bag.
Then because our layover was more than 12 hours, we had to PAY for our checked luggage. I only had one bag so I only paid $35. I sat with Libby on the plane to Miami. She is a photo journalist/CMU student. Check out her blog to see more Haiti pics. http://www.libbymarch.blogspot.com

The flight was uneventful. When we got to the Miami airport it was controled chaos. We didn’t have reservations for a hotel room, so those who had brought laptops and cell phones searched for hotels. One was finally found. Then we had to load all 750 pounds of luggage on to a shuttle bus.

BTW it was raining in Miami. Haven’t seen much of SUNNY Miami.

At the hotel we have to wait for our rooms so we go to Bennigan’s for lunch. After checking into our rooms. We, five girls, crash. I don’t think we will make it to the beach, but the hotel has an out door pool. Maybe if it stops storming we can so swimming! It is a bit humid, but not bad!

Lord, I pray for our team. I pray for good, sound rest tonight. Father I pray that You will protect us as we travel to Haiti in the morning. Father, I also pray that we keep giving each other grace and have patience with each other.

Father, please protect Jamie, Erick, and Topher. 10 days is really not THAT long! Father…one last thing…I pray that I will not only connect with staff and children, but also the team. Libby and I seem to have been placed together for whatever purpose You have chosen. I think I have connected with her the most so far.

The importance of good punctuation.

Today is Friday so you know what that means: it's Writer's Friday. This is a funny post that was given to me a few years ago by a writer friend of mine. I hope you enjoy!

Dear John:
I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we're apart. I can be forever happy--will you let me be yours?
Gloria

Dear John:
I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you.
Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no feelings whatsoever.
When we're apart, I can be forever happy. Will you let me be?
Yours,
Gloria

I'm Baacckk!

Did you miss me? I didn't think so! :0) I've been gone for about 1 week. I'll be gone again next week, if all things go as planned. Going camping on or near Lake Superior for the week.

The reason I was gone last week is computer related. Thurday I was typing and my laptop's screen went black. could barely make out the icons. So Erick (my 15 year old) hooked the laptop up to the tv so I could at least finish what I was doing. Well the s-video port on the laptop didn't work and we didn't have a monitor to hook it up to. Jamie got home from work and I told him what had happened. We were going new laptop looking anyway.

We found one I liked and of course my husband has to go to every place in town that sells computers before we go back to the first place and get the first computer. :0)

The only bad thing about this computer is it has no phone jack. (I live in the sticks where the only online option is dial up). So the store that we bought the computer at had a USB Modem FOR $60. We figured we could find it cheaper somewhere else. This was last Thursday.

Yesterday I was finally able to go get a USB Modem, and I found it at two other places and they were both about 1/2 the price as the store we bought my laptop at. So I'm back online and loving my new laptop.

I will be posting tomorrow for Writer's Friday. Not sure about next week, yet. If I go camping I've already been informed that it is a "no electronics" camping trip. I should find out tonight.

Haughty Attitude

Isaiah 2:6-4:6

This section in Isaiah talks about Judah and Jerusalem’s prideful and haughty attitudes. Sometimes we have this same attitude. You see a small group of elementary aged children sitting in front of you at church. They are snickering and clearly not listening to the worship service. You think, “Where are their parents?” or “I’m glad my kids don’t act like that.”

You are passing judgment on someone else, when in reality your kids at some point have acted like that. I know mine have!

I struggle with this attitude more often than I really care to admit. I have been a Christian for almost 15 years. The church I’m a member of has several new (with in the last 12 months) Christians and some who have been Christians longer than I have been alive. Most of them at times seem immature in their walk. But then I think who am I to judge them, that’s between them and God.

The Lord will humble the proud and haughty attitudes in us (2:11-12). Usually He does this by showing us what our attitudes look like, by turning the tables on us. I don’t like being on the receiving end of judgment. Do you?

Run to the ROCK! The more you cling to Him the less likely you are to suffer from this attitude.

Thin Places by Mary DeMuth review

Book review Monday is here. The book is Thin Places by Mary DeMuth.

This is a very open and honest look into the life of Mary DeMuth. The chapter titled “Marked” touched me the most. Instead of running from the mark, as Mary did, I embraced it. That was how I felt loved. That is until I met my now husband and Jesus. They have become my safe havens.

It is still hard for me to trust people, but I AM healing. This book lets you know that it’s okay to have issues. You don’t have to have it all together, for God to love you. He will love you and heal you no matter the issue.

What the heck does Showing Vs Telling mean? And how can I tell when I’m telling when I should be showing?

It's Writer's Friday. So Write right, today!

I struggle with this. Honestly I think most writers do, to some degree. What I understand is that universal emotions shouldn’t be told. We should show how the character reacts to their feelings. We all feel nervous, sad, happy, or angry. These are universal emotions, everyone has them. But we all react differently to those emotions.

If a writer just tells you a character is angry, that’s boring and uninteresting. We’re reading the story. We see what caused him to be angry. Someone ran into his brand new sports car. I’d be angry too! More interesting is how he reacts to seeing his dream car smashed. Does he jump out of the car yelling and cursing? Does he calmly and methodically take out a gun and shoot the offender? Or does he just sit there and cry?

Even in a first person narrative the character knows he’s angry. It’s more interesting for him to show what he is feeling or what he’s thinking, instead of saying “I was angry!”

Showing applies to descriptions and relationships too. It’s boring to hear that someone was ugly. What makes them ugly? Show it! It’s boring to hear that two people are close. How are they close? What do they do together? Show it!

Going Through the Motions

Isaiah 1:2, 10-20

Judah had rebelled against God (1:2). What did they do? They were just going through the motions…and God was tired of it (1:14-15). He wouldn’t even listen to their prayers (1:15).

They were still meeting, sacrificing, and giving, but their hearts weren’t in it. Apparently, they weren’t taking care of their poor and needy (1:17). God’s chastisement was to make the nation suffer (1:5-7).
God is very clear on how to end the suffering. You have to be willing and obedient (1:19).

If we as Christians forget our needy we are no different from Judah of the Old Testament. God will chastise us.

Read James 1:27

Read Zechariah 7 to see what God did to those who didn’t care for the needy.

Need some suggestions:
1) Visit or call a widow.
2) Secretly pay a bill for a widow or single parent.
3) Take a single parent’s children to the park for the afternoon.
4) Write an encouraging note.
5) Sponsor an orphan over seas.
6) Become a foster parent.
7) Adopt .
8) Help an organization that helps orphans/widows.
The list of possibilities is endless! Be creative!

Symmetry by Joyce Sterling Scarbrough

Today is book review Monday! I first met Joyce Sterling Scarbrough in a writer's group we both belong to. Now She is one of my Diva sisters! This review is for her lastest book Symmetry. Look for more info on Joyce at the end of this post! Enjoy!


Symmetry is about Jess and her realization that she has trichotillomania, her pending divorce, and her relationship with family. This book touched a nerve in me. I know second hand how it feels to be “different”. My oldest son has been diagnosed with A.D.H.D, with possible Asperger’s Syndrome, and there are days when I think he has O.C.D. I love the characters and the drama of this book. It is an excellent read! I love how this book brings awareness to those who are “different” or might be labeled “freaks”.

You can learn more about Joyce and purchase her books at: http://www.lldreamspell.com/JoyceScarbrough.htm
http://www.joycescarbrough.blogspot.com
http://www.amazon.com

The Problem in Galatia

Galatians 1:6-7~I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

The basic gospel found in Scripture can be understood by even the most uneducated person. There are portions of Scripture that are hard to understand because they were written in a different time and in a different culture. Sometimes it is easier to understand these portions if we understand why they were written in the first place.

Galatians 1:6-7 clearly explains why Paul wrote the letter to the Galatians. The churches of Galatia were “turning to a different gospel”, a false gospel, while Paul was gone. So they needed correcting, thus the letter. Paul knew that if the churches in Galatia didn’t get the gospel right, it would be a spiritual death sentence for them. So Paul wrote this letter to reaffirm the simple truth of the gospel that he had taught them previously and to call out the false teachers.
Back in verse 4, Paul states the gospel as plainly as can be. That’s it, there’s nothing more to it! I can see why he was “astonished.” What he taught them all boils down to what he said in this verse.

The Galatians were not only “turning to a different gospel” but they were “deserting him who called them”. God called them to believe and they were turning their backs to Him.

Let us as Christians be careful to not allow false teachers to confuse us. The only way to do that is to be grounded in Scripture. Read 1 Timothy 4:1-10. Check out Jeremiah 28 to find out what God did to a false teacher. Church leaders please read Acts 20:28-35.