Thanksgiving

give thanks.

Last year at this same time i was here in Haiti ,with the same group. this year they added some extra folks and 2 of those extras were my parents. 

the whole week was full of love. 

full of joy.

laughter.

peace.

fun.

smiles.

field day at school.

mommas gumbo.

worship every night. 

(one night, we went up to the mountain to worship and Voodoo people were there practicing.... read this blog by my roommate Janice. she nailed it!) 

http://whereloveabides.wordpress.com/2012/11/27/the-battle-warning-some-people-may-feel-uncomfortable-reading-this/

on thanksgiving day, momma spent all day preparing the gumbo. every once in awhile i would go outside to check on her and she would be laughing her head off with the ladies. they all loved laughing with her. at one point , dad was stirring the gumbo and mom and all the ladies were dancing around singing, 

"[d]jambalaya, a-crawfish pie and-a file [a]gumbo

Cause tonight Im gonna see my machez a[d]mioPick guitar, fill fruit jar and be [a]gay-oh

 Son of a gun, well have big fun on the [d]bayou."

it was so great! i could not help but join them and we danced some more! the picture is one of my favorites from the whole trip! 

while the gumbo was still stirring, the group and i walked to the beach. its about a 20 minute walk out of the neighborhood, around the corner, passing of some bulls, and you're there. the 1st place we went to looked like an old abandon beach "resort" but, apparently its packed on the weekends.  thanks to conrad we had to leave bc he picked a coconut from one of their many trees. so, we kept walking and ended up on the edge of the bulk head. we had to cross a small creek and then ended up at yet another abandon looking beach "resort".  there we took pictures and enjoyed the view. 

we arrived back at the house and the gumbo was ready and the table was set. we invited a bunch of really cool people over, and everyone gathered in a circle, we thanked God and all ate gumbo together outside on the big picnic table under the stars. it was magical. and hot. haha.

 after we ate and visited with one another. we all set under the stars and worshiped together. we worshiped our King. our Savior, the One we put our hope in.

Friday was the last full day for my parents and the team.  i had to go to school early morning and the team finished up on the projects with cafe and the building of the closets. Friday was pretty laid back. that evening, mom, dad, me, tachi and esther went to celebrate mom and dads 40 years of marriage. we went to really cool place a few miles down the highway. we had a great evening together. i was so thankful to spend this time with mom and daddy. 

when we arrived back at the house, the team was already on the front porch for worship so we joined them right away. we sang our hearts out while olivia and wadley led us. after singing, we all said what we were thankful for. tears and laughter were heavy. it was a beautiful time. a time where truth was spoken and the Lord had his hand all over the moments of thanks. i was very thankful to be apart this evening. 

i am thankful that this life is just temporary. im thankful that one glorious day we will be able to feast on a table with all people who have said Yes to Jesus. 

my parents being here was a dream come true. it was a beautiful week.

this was my daddy at field day. he loved on kids like he'd known them for years.

i must say this while i am talking about giving thanks, i am so very thankful for Ben Morris. 

his paitence. his service. his understanding of family and how they are a gift. his love for his job and his amazing skills. for his wisdom and humility. his understanding of freedom, even in our relationship. his support. his willingness. his growing heart...... and,  he will be here  February 11th-18th and i will return with him.