HOMMMMMMEEEE

Wow, what a day I had yesterday. Everything went wrong. It started out the rental car place would not take my debit card. I called my bank and found out they had lowered my limit because my card had been compromised. They raised my limit so I could get my car. After that I left the hotel to head to the airport, and my GPS on my phone was trying to take me in the opposite direction, after driving around for about 20 minutes I finally got on the right track, After a two hour drive I finally made it to the airport but never found a gas station to fill up my rental car, then I would not find the right parking lot to return my car. When I turned in the car they found a scratch on the front bumper, but luckily they believed my when I said I didn't do it. After I walked to two wrong terminals with a suitcase missing a wheel (it broke off between FL and Haiti on the way there.) I walked all the way across the HUGE airport and finally found the right one. I got to the airport really early so I ate lunch at 12:00ish. My gate number was not on my boarding pass so I went to the boards to find my flight, guess what? My flight was not on the board. I waiting for three hours went to check again, still not there. I called Matt and he looked online and it told me what gate and that my flight was leaving 40 minutes later than regular time. Because it was leaving so late I would not have been able to make my next flight that left Atlanta at 8:55. The got me on an earlier flight that was supposed to leave at 5:30 but wasn't actually leaving until 6:00. We got boarded on the plane and headed to the runway to find out we were delayed because of a storm in ATL.  They said we would leave at 6:30, then 7:00, then 7:45, then 8:00. then 9:00. I kept checking my other flight on my phone and it said it was on time. Meaning I would miss it. Right as we were taking off I called Matt and told him to call delta to figure out what to do. So the whole flight I didn't know if I would make it home or be staying in ATL. As soon as we landed I called Matt, he said my plane was gone and he got me on a flight at 8:15 the next morning and that he got me a hotel that was connected to the airport, but I needed to check on my baggage to see if I would get it in ATL or if it would go on to Evansville. While in line I met a family and they said they were supposed to be on the same flight as me and that the gate had literally just closed. The lady at the counter said they were waiting on fuel and if we ran we might make it. We took off and ran all the way through the airport. We had to jump on a tram then ran some more. When we got to the gate the doors were closed but they were contacting the pilot to see if he would let me, the family, and another guy. HE DID. As soon as I found out I was going to make the plane I called Matt so he could head to get me. We ran though the gate to get to the plane. When we got to where you get on the plane that was pulling up. He has already headed toward the runway but came back for us. Thank you Jesus. We got on the plane and headed to Evansville. We left Atlanta at out 11:00 PM (our time.) We made it to the Evansville in an hour, but of course my luggage was not there because it did not get from one plane to the next. I waiting in line for about 30 minutes to fill out a lost luggage claim. Then we headed home! My luggage should be delivered to out hour in about 2 hours.

I am so thankful to be home after such a terrible day!! We did lose the money for the hotel, but it is okay, I just wanted to be home.

Stuck

As we speak I'm sitting in a plane stuck in Orlando. My flight has been delayed because of the weather and there is a good possibility I'll miss my next flight. I need some serious prayer! I just want to go home!

In FL

For once I don't have much to say. I'm in FL. My flight tomorrow is not until 6:30 PM so I have a really relaxing day in the hotel that I am really excited for.
See you soon

Radio 4VEH

I was on Radio 4VEH today!!! Storly loves that my husband is a radio DJ so he invited me to get an in depth tour and learn about everything they do so I can tell Matt when I get home. Before the tour he made me call Matt and tell him to listen online at 10. I was not sure why he wanted Matt to listen, but I later found out it was because he was going to have me on the air. The show is in Creole so he asked me questions in Creole and his wife translated to me quietly, then I answered into the mic and she translated into Creole into another mic. It was so awesome! Too bad I forgot about the time difference and Matt missed it, oh well. After that I walked to the school to help Angie finish putting a few things away. It is my last day and I'm so sad!! I just keep thinking that I'll see Matt soon! Please pray for safe travels.

The first radios that were given out. They would give one to a community and each month go and change the batteries. Now they had out small solar powered radios to people.

Storly preparing for his show

All the red dots are where listeners are

Music library

Here you go Matt. This is from Storly.

Kenbe Fem Nan Jezi

Today was the celebration of the 63rd anniversary of Radio 4VEH (the Christian radio station here in Haiti.) It was awesome to be there. It was held at First Baptist Church of Cap-Haitien (the biggest Protestant  church around.) The church is huge and beautiful. Kate (the station manager's wife) is a photographer so I got to move around the church to take videos and pictures during the ceremony. The church's youth choir sang and they were amazing, the message was in English (YAY) and amazing. After church I had an awesome lunch at Brett and Angie's then we went to the station for the celebration held for OMS employees/missionaries and the radio staff. An awesome choir/band played, they were amazing, and there was so much food. It was a great day to celebrate and great ministry.  The title of this post means Hold Tight to Jesus and that was the theme of the celebration.

Tomorrow is my last night here and I'm not ready to leave. Please pray for safe travels as I head back home.

Pictures

The second church we went to, sticks and sheets

Life

I have had dinner every night for the past few days with a man named Storly and his family. He is the manager at Radio 4VEH and his wife does communications there. He is from Haiti, she is from Wales and they now live in the US. Talk about diversity. Last night he shared the story of how the radio station began, and she talked about her life working in Africa for World Vision (Arica, you NEED to meet this lady.) She then went into the story of how they met and how they ended up in the US, what a story.  After they finished their story he made a statement that I keep catching myself thinking about. Not in these exact words, but he said that how their life has fallen into place perfectly, even though they had some MAJOR troubles, they all happened for a reason, and no man could ever have planned something to work out so well. It makes me think of my life, which has been far from perfect. I have had so many things happen in my life that it seems unreal I lived through them and while they were going on I was sure I wouldn't. I won't go into details but I just want to say this:

Life is not about living a perfect life, with a white picket fence, and being comfortable or always happy. If that is how your life is, feel blessed because very few people have that life. As I think back to the heart break I have been through I realize that I don't want it any other way. Life is too short to always be thinking about how you wish your life was falling into place. Life is about loving, which will probably involve heart ache at one point, caring more for others before yourself, serving with your whole heart, taking leaps of faith, being uncomfortable but having full faith you'll eventually become comfortable with being uncomfortable, and enjoying the beauty of life as we have been given it. Sometimes I think about how I thought my life would end up, boy was I wrong. My junior year of high school when my life had been 100% totally flipped upside down, if you would have told me that in a few short years I would be married to a metal musician who wanted to become a pastor I would have laughed in your face. If you would have told me that I would be living a life 100% wrapped around my Savior I would have called you insane. I didn't want to be like those people who I knew to be judgmental of people who might be a little different. Now I serve 7th-12th graders and teach them to love the Lord with all their heart and never leave out those who might be a little different. My students are amazing kids and I pray that are the ones who change their school and how it treats those who are "poor," uncool, broken, hurting, or just a little different. Being different is good. 

I am 24 and married to the most amazing man I have ever met. He is strong and faithful and I couldn't imagine my life with anyone else. And I promise you that if God had not put on his heart to try out for that very first play almost six years that I would not be where I am today. He has changed my thought about so many things, that I was too scarred to give a chance. He is passionate about the effect music can have on a life. He is never selfish and loves hard.

As I was growing up and I wanted so bad to be an only child, now I can't imagine a life without my brother, sister, and sister-in-law. They are the most passionate people I have ever met and I can't wait to get home to go see them soon.

My father is the strongest man I know. He is the most seriously hysterical man ever! He is softer than people realize. I can't imagine having another dad.

My mother is a hard working and caring women, who knows how to completely love. She had overcome more things than most people can imagine and my life without her would be broken. 

I have amazing grandparents who care about me and love me so much.I haven aunts and uncles and cousins who help complete the hand the Lord has dealt me. 

I have strong and passionate friends who always stand up for what is right and always put others first. 

How everything works into place is something that man cannot do alone. The plan for my life that has NOT been my plan and is more perfect than the one I created so many years ago. My life is not easy, but whose is? To be honest the hard things we all go through in life are the things that make us who we are. The things we love, the things that break out heart, or make us laugh, or cry, the music that we enjoy, or hobbies, our passions, make us who we are. People think I'm crazy for coming here so 3 weeks without my husband, but I know that I was called to be here, and he was called to stay home. People think I'm crazy for coming here at all, with or without him, but my passion for this place makes me me. Why would I sit in my comfortable house when I could be sitting her sweating and changing the lives of people who live here to change the lives of the people who are broken and hurt and lost and searching for something more than the concrete walls of 
their homes. 

So after you took all the time to read this long blog, if you remember nothing else I ask you to remember this. Our lives are so perfectly imperfect. You are loved and made in the image of the flawless Creator. Things may be hard, but I promise you that those hard things will only be hard for awhile, then you'll see the purpose. Life is so perfectly put together by perfect hands that why should we question anything?

Live your life out loud! Don't be ashamed of the passions you have, take leaps of faith no matter how crazy people think you are. Love hard, put others first, and don't be afraid to shout from the rooftops how perfectly imperfect your life is.

"I may not have a perfect voice but I'll still sing at the top of my lungs, until my days are done."