Saturday morning Sabrina worked in the clinic all morning, counting pills. In the afternoon they left and went over to one of the other ministries that has a lot of stands (like a market) to barter. She loved it! She was able to buy some fun things!
She sent a text that said: "I seriously love it here! It feels like I've been gone for more than a week! I decided the guy I marry is going to have to be real flexible because I pretty much want to travel and help in clinics for the rest of my life! No joke. Can you be addicted after 1 trip??"
And another text: "We have so much! I just want to like up root the whole family and let them see this kind of life! The people here are so happy with nothing!!! I got a video of boys playing soccer....Every boy has multiple rips and holes in either his shirt or pants and their shoes are almost completely falling apart. Most of them have crocs on that were worn down so much you could hardly tell what they were!"
She sent a text that said: "I just had goat for dinner!" Haha....turns out that the son of the people that own the guest house where she is staying, told them they were eating goat with some cat. He had a totally straight face, but finally tells them it's just goat...like that's a relief or something.....they were talking to his mom later and she was cracking up...it was just beef! Whew!!!
She sent me a text today that she just got home from church. A lizard crawled across the floor in the middle of the sermon and they had to catch it and put it outside. I asked her how big it was. She said it was only a little gecko but the pastor jumped out of the way and so they put it outside! Haha, yeah we don't have that problem at church very often......never. :)
I got the email from the airline today to check her in for her flight tomorrow!! Just a teensy bit excited to confirm her on the flight!!!!!!
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Friday Update!!
Friday Sabrina was able to help with the playground that they are building at a school! Along with that, she said she now has 70 pictures of kids from the school on her phone!! They love being able to see themselves in pictures and videos, so they had a great time using her phone!! She said they did a Valentine's Day craft with the younger children that was a lot of fun!
Of course I asked her what she ate for dinner! This was her text back: "Rice! And veggies. And ground beef with BBQ sauce?? I think au gratin potatoes. sorta. Haha, they were good! Lunch was rice with fish chunks and a red sauce! Also pretty good! We eat lunch with the some of the high schoolers, so we get whatever they do!"
Today she might be in the Clinic or finishing up the playground!
I am so thankful for the wonderful experiences she is having! I am so anxious to see all her pictures and hear the stories behind them!!!
Of course I asked her what she ate for dinner! This was her text back: "Rice! And veggies. And ground beef with BBQ sauce?? I think au gratin potatoes. sorta. Haha, they were good! Lunch was rice with fish chunks and a red sauce! Also pretty good! We eat lunch with the some of the high schoolers, so we get whatever they do!"
Today she might be in the Clinic or finishing up the playground!
I am so thankful for the wonderful experiences she is having! I am so anxious to see all her pictures and hear the stories behind them!!!
Friday, February 14, 2014
Thursday At The Beach!!
Much to her delight, Thursday was spent at the beach!!! I was getting a little anxious yesterday afternoon because I hadn't heard from her at the 'normal' time and then 2 more hours passed and I was starting to hyperventilate! Finally I got a text from her that said, "Sorry! Just walked in the door! We had a 3 hour drive home from the beach!!" And then she sent a text right after that one that said, "Don't worry :) haha.." She knows me too well, I was starting to completely panic!!
They left for the beach at 6 am and got to the beach about 10. She snorkeled for the first time in her life!!!! This is what the text said that she sent: "I seriously thought I was going to die!! I sucked up salt water, which was disgusting but I saw so many cool fish!"
She said she saw like 500 puffer fish!! The vendors on the beach would catch King Crab, cook them over a fire and serve the whole thing for $10 bucks!! She said you have to pay to go to the beach, so typically only the wealthy go! There was a pool, a floating trampoline and of course chairs and a few other things included in the cost to get in. It was about 650 gourdes (or about $15 per person).
She came home to a cold shower because the city turned off the electricity but half way through, it came back on!! Dinner was fried chicken, rice, salad and rolls!! She also said it was pretty cool outside, she thought it was about 65.
I asked her if she could believe it was already Friday and she said, "I seriously can't believe that I'm halfway done! It feels like I have been here forever, yet I don't want to leave!!"
I finally realized what time it was for her, so I told her I would let her get to bed. She was finishing up writing in her journal but said that she didn't have to be up until 7:30! They are painting the playground today!!
We are so happy for her! She is having such a great time and having life experiences that she couldn't have anywhere else!!!
They left for the beach at 6 am and got to the beach about 10. She snorkeled for the first time in her life!!!! This is what the text said that she sent: "I seriously thought I was going to die!! I sucked up salt water, which was disgusting but I saw so many cool fish!"
She said she saw like 500 puffer fish!! The vendors on the beach would catch King Crab, cook them over a fire and serve the whole thing for $10 bucks!! She said you have to pay to go to the beach, so typically only the wealthy go! There was a pool, a floating trampoline and of course chairs and a few other things included in the cost to get in. It was about 650 gourdes (or about $15 per person).
She came home to a cold shower because the city turned off the electricity but half way through, it came back on!! Dinner was fried chicken, rice, salad and rolls!! She also said it was pretty cool outside, she thought it was about 65.
I asked her if she could believe it was already Friday and she said, "I seriously can't believe that I'm halfway done! It feels like I have been here forever, yet I don't want to leave!!"
I finally realized what time it was for her, so I told her I would let her get to bed. She was finishing up writing in her journal but said that she didn't have to be up until 7:30! They are painting the playground today!!
We are so happy for her! She is having such a great time and having life experiences that she couldn't have anywhere else!!!
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Wednesday Update!!
Wednesday Sabrina was able to spend the day at an orphanage! This is what her text said about her day:
"Spent today in the children's orphanage with the sweetest kids ever!!! Almost brought them all home! There was only like 13 of them, ages 2-7. The orphanage director was amazing and the whole place was clean and neat and all the kids were healthy...and all the girls had their hair done! Awesome!"
She said a couple of the little boys snagged her phone and took videos and pictures. Haha, we won't be able to post any of those online due to privacy rules but I'm anxious to see them! She's hoping to make it to the beach today. Friday and Saturday she will help finish up the playground that they're building.
I asked what was for dinner last night and this was her response: "Dinner is rice (surprise) and meat sauce (I think) with cooked and fresh veggies, bread and stewed spinach (probably)haha" I'm guessing she ate rice for dinner....and bread!
She said she is in bed by 9 every night...maybe 9:30. She just puts her ear plugs in and is out like a light! She has to wear ear plugs because the roosters and dogs are quite noisy during the night. The roosters start at 4 and she doesn't get up until 5. She says with all the walking that she's doing as well as having the heat/sun baking down on her, she is exhausted at the end of her day.
She's considering going on the next mission trip to Guatemala in June. She's thinks it sounds great because they speak Spanish and that's much easier to understand then Creole!! I have a feeling this is just the beginning for this girl! Once she did one trip, she is going to be hooked!!
"Spent today in the children's orphanage with the sweetest kids ever!!! Almost brought them all home! There was only like 13 of them, ages 2-7. The orphanage director was amazing and the whole place was clean and neat and all the kids were healthy...and all the girls had their hair done! Awesome!"
She said a couple of the little boys snagged her phone and took videos and pictures. Haha, we won't be able to post any of those online due to privacy rules but I'm anxious to see them! She's hoping to make it to the beach today. Friday and Saturday she will help finish up the playground that they're building.
I asked what was for dinner last night and this was her response: "Dinner is rice (surprise) and meat sauce (I think) with cooked and fresh veggies, bread and stewed spinach (probably)haha" I'm guessing she ate rice for dinner....and bread!
She said she is in bed by 9 every night...maybe 9:30. She just puts her ear plugs in and is out like a light! She has to wear ear plugs because the roosters and dogs are quite noisy during the night. The roosters start at 4 and she doesn't get up until 5. She says with all the walking that she's doing as well as having the heat/sun baking down on her, she is exhausted at the end of her day.
She's considering going on the next mission trip to Guatemala in June. She's thinks it sounds great because they speak Spanish and that's much easier to understand then Creole!! I have a feeling this is just the beginning for this girl! Once she did one trip, she is going to be hooked!!
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Day 1 and 2!!
Yesterday I didn't have time to post an update about Sabrina's first day in Haiti, so I will do yesterday and today in one post.
Monday she rode in the back of a flatbed truck after getting picked up at the airport. She sat on top of her luggage and bounced along (she thought she was going to bounce out a couple of times!) until they got to where they are staying. She said as they drove through the town, there were many who waved and smiled as they drove past but there were many who were not happy to see her (a white person) and let her know by the things they yelled as their truck drove past. She's never experienced anything like that and it surprised her a little.
Once they made it to where they are staying, they started the hike up the hill to the clinic. She said it's a 3 mile hike each way, straight up the mountain! When she got to the top, she figured she was a little dehydrated because she was freezing and shaking! The altitude is a little different as well!
They worked in the clinic for awhile, organizing supplies and counting out medication. When she finally texted me that night, she was waiting in line to take a bucket shower!! Yesterday she got a cold shower. Today she was with a group that walked faster than the others and her shower was a little warmer!! :)
She was up very early this morning for Devotional and then off to the Clinic! She said she worked in the lab all day, giving urine tests, pregnancy tests and prescribing glasses. While she was waiting, she handed out little bracelets to children that came in. She gave one to a teeny little girl. A few minutes after she had given it to her, the little girl motioned for Sabrina to come back over to her. The little girl then hugged her, gave her a kiss on her cheek and said, 'thank you' in her tiny little accent. Sabrina said she just wanted to cry! It was totally the highlight of her day!!!
I asked about the food. She said some things totally look like something from America and then she tastes it and it totally isn't!!! Haha, for example...breakfast looked like oatmeal with raisins...it was actually porridge with goat milk and fresh mangos. She also had banana pancakes! Lunch is rice and beans. For dinner they had macaroni, rice with beef stew sauce and salad with rolls....but nothing is the same.
Tomorrow she is headed to the orphanage! She is super excited about that!!
Thankfully she is taking tons of pictures and next week when she gets back, we will post them!!
Monday she rode in the back of a flatbed truck after getting picked up at the airport. She sat on top of her luggage and bounced along (she thought she was going to bounce out a couple of times!) until they got to where they are staying. She said as they drove through the town, there were many who waved and smiled as they drove past but there were many who were not happy to see her (a white person) and let her know by the things they yelled as their truck drove past. She's never experienced anything like that and it surprised her a little.
Once they made it to where they are staying, they started the hike up the hill to the clinic. She said it's a 3 mile hike each way, straight up the mountain! When she got to the top, she figured she was a little dehydrated because she was freezing and shaking! The altitude is a little different as well!
They worked in the clinic for awhile, organizing supplies and counting out medication. When she finally texted me that night, she was waiting in line to take a bucket shower!! Yesterday she got a cold shower. Today she was with a group that walked faster than the others and her shower was a little warmer!! :)
She was up very early this morning for Devotional and then off to the Clinic! She said she worked in the lab all day, giving urine tests, pregnancy tests and prescribing glasses. While she was waiting, she handed out little bracelets to children that came in. She gave one to a teeny little girl. A few minutes after she had given it to her, the little girl motioned for Sabrina to come back over to her. The little girl then hugged her, gave her a kiss on her cheek and said, 'thank you' in her tiny little accent. Sabrina said she just wanted to cry! It was totally the highlight of her day!!!
I asked about the food. She said some things totally look like something from America and then she tastes it and it totally isn't!!! Haha, for example...breakfast looked like oatmeal with raisins...it was actually porridge with goat milk and fresh mangos. She also had banana pancakes! Lunch is rice and beans. For dinner they had macaroni, rice with beef stew sauce and salad with rolls....but nothing is the same.
Tomorrow she is headed to the orphanage! She is super excited about that!!
Thankfully she is taking tons of pictures and next week when she gets back, we will post them!!
Monday, February 10, 2014
Dreams Do Come True!
Last night a dream came true for our sweet Sabrina! She left on a mission trip to Haiti!!! She has wanted to do this for years!!! The timing has never been right.....until now! She wanted to be able to pay for the trip herself....and she did!! A couple of years ago, she was going to Ukraine to teach English to young children. She raised all the money she needed herself, by working long hard hours on a calf ranch. She was responsible for feeding, giving shots, cleaning out the pens and dragging the dead ones out to a pile, she also had to nurse the sick ones back to health. Most of the time the weather was freezing cold with a wind that blew her sideways!! If it wasn't cold, the weather would be so hot that she would come home covered in sweat and hay. Regardless of the weather, she always came home covered in cow poop and cow drool. It was not a glamorous job, it was not a job for the faint of heart, it was not a typical job for a girl....but she did it and she did it well.
She raised the $2500+ that she needed for that trip. And then a week before she was to leave, we found out that we were adopting our sweet Zachary and that he would be in the hospital in a different state for weeks while he had open heart surgery. She offered to go with him to the hospital and stay with him as long as was there. Her dream of going to Ukraine, all the money she had paid were gone the second she made that decision, but the relationship she created with her baby brother will last eternity. The lullaby that she constantly sang him to him became the song that we all think of when we think of him. Having him pass away at 3 months old made it crystal clear to her that she had made the right choice. She will never regret the time she spent with him.
When this opportunity came around, she knew the time was right. She just completed her training to become a CNA, so having a medical background will be an added bonus as she helps the children in Haiti. Currently, she has a great job working for the state. She works as a mentor for troubled teenage girls. The life experiences she has had up to this point have all prepared her for this trip!
We are so excited for her. She worked hard to collect 100 lbs of supplies to take with her. Our church family has been so supportive as she has asked for donations. She was blessed with more than she ever thought possible!
Last night as her Dad took her to the airport, they knew it was going to be a little stressful. Her flight into Portland was a tight connection to catch her flight into NY. She was flying two different airlines who were not partners. Her luggage would not be able to be checked all the way through as we were hoping. She would have to get off the plane, go retrieve her luggage in baggage claim, get back to the counter and have it checked in for her next flight, get back into the security line and get back to her gate in less than 30 minutes. If her plane was late getting in or her luggage took too long getting on the carousel for her to collect, she would have to leave her bags in Portland and just run to her gate to board. She was stressed. She cried. She had worked hard to gather all the supplies. Good people had donated so many supplies. The clinic and orphanage in Haiti needed the supplies she was bringing. Her dad suggested they say a prayer. He specifically prayed for her plane to be 10 minutes early arriving and her next flight to be delayed by 20 minutes. He hugged her. He reassured her to have faith and sent her through security.
We didn't hear anything from her when she landed in Portland. Finally at 3:20 this morning, when she landed in NY, she sent a text to say her plane was 10 minutes early arriving in Portland and her flight to NY was delayed 20 minutes and her luggage made it on the plane! She had experienced a tender mercy from our Father in Heaven and reminder that He is in control. He's got her back. He wants her to succeed. The children in Haiti need her supplies. God is good.
This will be a life changing experience for her. We are so thankful for her desire to serve others and share her love with them! We can't wait to hear all about her journey! We love you Sabrina!!!!
She raised the $2500+ that she needed for that trip. And then a week before she was to leave, we found out that we were adopting our sweet Zachary and that he would be in the hospital in a different state for weeks while he had open heart surgery. She offered to go with him to the hospital and stay with him as long as was there. Her dream of going to Ukraine, all the money she had paid were gone the second she made that decision, but the relationship she created with her baby brother will last eternity. The lullaby that she constantly sang him to him became the song that we all think of when we think of him. Having him pass away at 3 months old made it crystal clear to her that she had made the right choice. She will never regret the time she spent with him.
When this opportunity came around, she knew the time was right. She just completed her training to become a CNA, so having a medical background will be an added bonus as she helps the children in Haiti. Currently, she has a great job working for the state. She works as a mentor for troubled teenage girls. The life experiences she has had up to this point have all prepared her for this trip!
We are so excited for her. She worked hard to collect 100 lbs of supplies to take with her. Our church family has been so supportive as she has asked for donations. She was blessed with more than she ever thought possible!
Last night as her Dad took her to the airport, they knew it was going to be a little stressful. Her flight into Portland was a tight connection to catch her flight into NY. She was flying two different airlines who were not partners. Her luggage would not be able to be checked all the way through as we were hoping. She would have to get off the plane, go retrieve her luggage in baggage claim, get back to the counter and have it checked in for her next flight, get back into the security line and get back to her gate in less than 30 minutes. If her plane was late getting in or her luggage took too long getting on the carousel for her to collect, she would have to leave her bags in Portland and just run to her gate to board. She was stressed. She cried. She had worked hard to gather all the supplies. Good people had donated so many supplies. The clinic and orphanage in Haiti needed the supplies she was bringing. Her dad suggested they say a prayer. He specifically prayed for her plane to be 10 minutes early arriving and her next flight to be delayed by 20 minutes. He hugged her. He reassured her to have faith and sent her through security.
We didn't hear anything from her when she landed in Portland. Finally at 3:20 this morning, when she landed in NY, she sent a text to say her plane was 10 minutes early arriving in Portland and her flight to NY was delayed 20 minutes and her luggage made it on the plane! She had experienced a tender mercy from our Father in Heaven and reminder that He is in control. He's got her back. He wants her to succeed. The children in Haiti need her supplies. God is good.
This will be a life changing experience for her. We are so thankful for her desire to serve others and share her love with them! We can't wait to hear all about her journey! We love you Sabrina!!!!
Heavy suitcases.....lighter on the way home!! :)
Giving hugs to everyone!
Gonna miss this girl!
See you soon!
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Busy, Busy!!!
We have been BUSY!! Busy going back to school, busy with different activities, busy with church, busy with kiddos!!! We wouldn't have it any other way, but it leaves little time for blogging.
Miss Olivia is doing so well! What a joy she is! She is laughing and smiling all the time! She loves feeling different textures. She is SO smart. She knows that I wear the same earrings almost every day and when I pick her up to hold her, her hand immediately reaches to my ear to grab on. If she's fast, she can pull the hoop earing right out of my ear! Sometimes I can catch her hand before she does it, but either way it always makes me laugh!! Her sweet little personality is so fun to watch blossom and grow!
Her Ocularist would like her to have surgery to expand the openings of her eyes. Once that is done and healed, he would like to put in her artificial eyes.... the sooner, the better in his opinion!
It's so sweet to watch her face as different siblings pick her up and play with her. She listens to see who it is, feels their hair (we always put her hand on our head and say our name so she can start identifying the difference between everyone!)
She is very vocal and talks and coos constantly when she's awake! She always has something to say!
Miss Olivia is doing so well! What a joy she is! She is laughing and smiling all the time! She loves feeling different textures. She is SO smart. She knows that I wear the same earrings almost every day and when I pick her up to hold her, her hand immediately reaches to my ear to grab on. If she's fast, she can pull the hoop earing right out of my ear! Sometimes I can catch her hand before she does it, but either way it always makes me laugh!! Her sweet little personality is so fun to watch blossom and grow!
Her Ocularist would like her to have surgery to expand the openings of her eyes. Once that is done and healed, he would like to put in her artificial eyes.... the sooner, the better in his opinion!
It's so sweet to watch her face as different siblings pick her up and play with her. She listens to see who it is, feels their hair (we always put her hand on our head and say our name so she can start identifying the difference between everyone!)
She is very vocal and talks and coos constantly when she's awake! She always has something to say!
Isaiah just loves this sweet girl! Sorry she's blurry....
Thomas was watching Polar Express with Olivia snuggled up next to him!
Cute girl!
Love her!
Cute Sisters!!
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