Diary of a Vagabound

Day One:

I made it safely to Haiti. Praise God! The difference between America and Haiti is surreal. When the plane landed I was greeted with sights, sounds, and smells which are world's apart from America. I am amazed at how little material possessions the people of Haiti have. Driving around Port-au-Prince, I did not see any restaurants, or shopping centers. The people have so little. I was overcome with emotions ranging from sadness, selfishness and gratitude for all that God has blessed me with. Driving around Haiti is the scariest thing I have ever done. You haven't lived until you have drove/rode in a third world culture! The traffic is ridiculous. All of the drivers are yelling at each other, honking and swerving in and out of traffic. I believe the yellow lines in the middle of the road mean nothing! I sat in the back of a pickup truck in a plastic lawn chair and was thrown back and forth as the truck sped through traffic. Driving around town allowed me the opportunity to see third culture life. I saw houses which had been destroyed by the earthquake, people living in tents and tarps, Haitians washing clothes in dirty water, houses on top of each other, beggars, naked children and vendors running up to the cars, however, in the midst of all of the chaos, I noticed God's beauty. God is an artist! His work is evident in the grandeur of the mountains and in the ocean which was as blue as the sky. God truly is an amazing God. He has calmed my fears and allowed me to see and worship Him in a new light. God is glorious in all, through all and over all!

Day Two:
My prayer for today and the week is that I would be clay in God's hands and He would do with me whatever He wanted. God help me to be bold when talking with others and allow me to show your love to the ones who need your love the most. Today, was Sunday and I had the opportunity to attend church. The service was in Creole which is the national language of Haiti, and though I could not understand what was being said, I had a better picture of what Heaven will one day look like. Seeing and hearing the students sing brought tears to my eyes. I kept thinking that this will be what Heaven is going to be like with all of the different, tribes, tongues, languages and nations singing praises to God at the same time. God is a global God and deserves to be worshiped by everyone, not just Americans! After lunch we had the opportunity to go to the Beach. There was no sand but the most beautiful ocean you have ever seen. The water was very clear and you could see God's artistic hand.
Day Three: 

Today was a very laid back day. In the morning we prepared the reading worksheets, tests, and homework for the assessments tomorrow. My task is to assess the students and determine which grade level they are reading at. We also picked up/shelved books, dusted, swept and arranged the library for use during the summer months. After lunch all of the kids went back to their dorms in order to escape from the heat. We attempted to stay cool, however, no matter how hard we tried the heat continued to win. In the evening, I traveled with members of the orphanage to four different locations in order to find water. Water for washing and the bathrooms comes from two wells which are located on campus, however, the wells are broken and no-one is around to fix the wells. Water also, needs to be found in order to have something to drink. The team and I traveled to four different locations to find water but there was none available. There has been no water at night on the trip and I have had to take showers with wet wipes. Tonight looks like another night with wet wipes! I am amazed at how much I take for granted in America. I never gave much thought to water, however, now water is all I can think about. Despite the lack of water and washing with wet wipes, I am excited for tomorrow and the assessments. I pray that the students will do there best and we will be able to see where they are. I pray for favor in the eyes of the students and that I would be able to minister and show them the love of God.
Day Four:

Today we started the reading program and I loved it. When I go overseas I want to be ministering in a teaching capacity. I love the students! God has gifted me in the area of teaching and I was able to be myself and get to know the kids. It was great! Thank you Lord for a wonderful experience. Today, I also had the opportunity to help out in the malnutrition program. Children from all over Haiti come to the clinic who are malnourished and while at the clinic the children are given mumba (Haitian peanut butter). The mumba helps the children gain weight faster. The malnutrition program is six weeks long and the children will come every week in order to document their progress. The program is free and a huge blessing to the families in Haiti. My heart broke to see all of the starving children, however, I know they are being taken care of.

Day Five:

The reading program is progressing nicely and the children are learning a lot. I love reading to the students and working with them one on one. Today was a slow day and after the reading program in the morning nothing else happened. My prayer is that I would continue to be a light in God's land.


Day Six:

We finished with the reading assessments today. The children did a good job at reading English and now we have to put together lessons for the rest of the summer. After working on lesson plans, I had an opportunity to play games and interact with other teams which were staying at the orphanage.


Day Seven:

Today, I taught art and told stories with the children! I told the younger children the story of the "Wide Mouth Frog" (If you ask me sometime, maybe, I will tell you the story). I love being in my element and teaching! I am homesick today and glad that I am going home soon. I miss T so much! Next time he needs to come with me. I'm glad he did not come this time though, because God has taught me so much without him. I have enjoyed my time here and I have learned a lot about God, missions, and the world.
Day Eight:

My last day in Haiti and I am very sad. I am glad to go home and see my family but I will miss Haiti. The people, the children and the country has left an impression on my heart. I have learned a lot. Today, we woke up at 4:30am to go for a hike up a mountain. During the hike I saw the pretties sights I have ever seen. I saw different villages and individuals carrying different things on their heads. Everything was beautiful! Tonight, we went to a resort in order to eat at a restaurant and relax. It was crazy to see two different sides of Haiti in one day.
Day Nine:
I am still attempting to process everything I went through in Haiti, however, I know this much to be true God is good and He is at work in Haiti. Thank you everyone for your support whether financially or prayerfully. This trip could not have been done without your help. Thank you!

An Ordinary Man

Today, for whatever reason I began to think about what would happen if my dad were to die. Morbid right? If he were to die today, I believe this would be the obituary in the newspaper...

Tom Welch, 52 of Williamsburg, Virginia, died on June 16, 2011 at 5:00 pm. Tom Welch is survived by his wife and three children. Tom Welch was a servant leader, a lion-hearted and lamb-like husband, sacrificing father, and a man who feared God. Tom Welch never appeared on Facebook or Twitter, but hundreds of people in Virginia and beyond testify about how much he loved them. He was never wealthy or powerful, but he kept growing as a Christian: yesterday's grace was never enough. He was a far sighted visionary and always encouraged his kids to have a plan and keep adding "rings" to your "key ring" which will unlock more doors. He taught his kids the importance of networking, hard-work, never giving up that which you start, and how to rely on God every moment of everyday. Every morning he could be found sitting in his office soaking his soul in the Bible and pouring out his heart to His Heavenly Father. He taught his kids how to tell a good story, (always include your dog and maybe a skunk or a porcupine), and how to pick up females (buy pencils). He taught his sons how to throw a baseball, shoot a basketball and how to fight. Only rarely did he break through his pattern of reserve and speak deeply and intimately with his children, but he modeled Christian virtues to them. He much preferred to avoid controversy than to stir things up, but his own commitments to historic confessionalism were unyielding, and in ethics he was a man of integrity. When he died, there were no crowds outside the hospital, no editorial comments in the papers, no announcements on television, no parade, no attention paid by the nation. In his hospital room there was only his wife by his bedside. In the room there was only the quiet hiss of oxygen, vainly venting because he had stopped breathing and would never need it again. But on the other side all the trumpets sounded. Tom Welch won entrance to the only throne room that matters, not because he was a good man or a great man, but because he was a forgiven man.  And he heard the voice of him whom he longed to hear saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Lord."

Thank you Dad for everything. Happy Father's Day!

Your hands, Your heart, Your voice

Feeding on the Word: Daily Nutrition

"Like newborn infants, desire the unadulterated spiritual milk, so that you may grow by it in (your) salvation"-1 Peter 2:2

A healthy baby has a healthy appetite. If you have truly been "born" of the Spirit of God, you will have a healthy appetite. The Bible says, "Like newborn infants, desire the unadulterated spiritual milk, so that you may grow by it in your salvation." So feed yourself daily without fail. The more you eat, the quicker you will grow, and the less bruising you will have. Speed up the process and save yourself some pain-vow to read God's Word everyday, without fail. Job said, "I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily food" (Job 23:12). Be like Job, and put your Bible before your belly. Say to yourself, "No Bible, no breakfast. No read, no feed." If you do that, God promises that you will be like a fruitful, strong, and healthy tree (Psalm 1).

Each day, find somewhere quiet and thoroughly soak your soul in the Word of God. There may be times when you read through its pages with great enthusiasm, and other times when it seems dry and even boring. But food profits your body whether you enjoy it or not. As a child, you no doubt ate desserts with great enthusiasm. Perhaps vegetables weren't so exciting. If you were a normal child, you probably had to be encouraged to eat them at first. Then, as you matured in life, you learned to discipline yourself to eat vegetables. This is because they nourish and strengthen you, even though they may not bring pleasure to your taste buds. The same is true with the Bible, even when you don't feel like, still soak your soul in the Word, the Word will still nourish and strengthen. Eventually the feelings will return and you will enjoy your time with God.