I was surfing online this evening and realized that my blog was still up, even though I haven't posted for over a year. It has been an....interesting year. Life has been turned upside-down, and left me flat on my back for a good part of it. It has taken me up until now to even think about re-visiting my blog and for much of the last year, I thought about abandoning it. So here I am...
I have been enjoying the foo fighters lately, so I have included a link. www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b7f0FqFyLA&feature=player_embedded
Monday, August 15, 2011
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
If I had to do it over again...
"If I had my life to live over again, I'd try to make more mistakes next time. I would relax, I would limber up, I would be sillier than I have been this trip.
I know of very few things I would take seriously. I would take more trips. I would be crazier. I would climb more mountains, swim more rivers and watch more sunsets. I would do more walking and looking. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would have more actual troubles, and fewer imaginary ones.
You see, I'm one of these people who lives life prophylactically and sensibly hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it over again I'd have more of them. In fact I'd try to have nothing else, just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead each day. I've been one of those people who never go anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a gargle, a raincoat, an aspirin, and a parachute.
If I had to do it all over again, I would go places, do things, do things, and travel lighter than I have. If I had my life to live over I would start barefooted earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would play hooky more. I wouldn't make such good grades, except by accident. I would ride on more merry-go-rounds. I'd pick more daisies."
Mr.Gene Getz
I know of very few things I would take seriously. I would take more trips. I would be crazier. I would climb more mountains, swim more rivers and watch more sunsets. I would do more walking and looking. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would have more actual troubles, and fewer imaginary ones.
You see, I'm one of these people who lives life prophylactically and sensibly hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it over again I'd have more of them. In fact I'd try to have nothing else, just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead each day. I've been one of those people who never go anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a gargle, a raincoat, an aspirin, and a parachute.
If I had to do it all over again, I would go places, do things, do things, and travel lighter than I have. If I had my life to live over I would start barefooted earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would play hooky more. I wouldn't make such good grades, except by accident. I would ride on more merry-go-rounds. I'd pick more daisies."
Mr.Gene Getz
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Dave's mixtape #1
Top ten songs I like...right now. (Not in any particular order)
10.Come Alive - Foo Fighters
9. Sing It Out - Switchfoot
8. Lament - Jeff Martin
7. Spiritual - The Man in Black
6. Night of the Hunter - 30 Seconds to Mars
5. When the World Ends - Dave Matthews Band (Oakenfold remix)
4. Hurricane - 30 Seconds to Mars
3.Reckoner - Radiohead
2. The Bazaar - The Tea Party
1. I'm With You - The Stills
10.Come Alive - Foo Fighters
9. Sing It Out - Switchfoot
8. Lament - Jeff Martin
7. Spiritual - The Man in Black
6. Night of the Hunter - 30 Seconds to Mars
5. When the World Ends - Dave Matthews Band (Oakenfold remix)
4. Hurricane - 30 Seconds to Mars
3.Reckoner - Radiohead
2. The Bazaar - The Tea Party
1. I'm With You - The Stills
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
House of Hope
My sister-in-law has a couple of friends that went down to Haiti, as they have helped out at the House of Hope for a few years now. This is the last email they sent before their trip home.
Please continue to pray for Haiti,that people would be safe, and that care would find it's way where it is needed most.
Pray for safety for the House of Hope.
Here is the email:
Hi everyone...
Well, it's the morning of our last full day here at the HOH. The time has just flown by! It seems like we just settled in to our routines and were really beginning to connect with everyone here...and our time is over. It has again been an amazing experience as we have seen God's love shared in so many practical ways every day.
A few highlights of the last few days:
* Last week Tuesday, the mayor of the area asked if he could store a very large amount of food at the HOH until Thursday when there would be a food distribution to those who had been affected by the earthquake. The HOH is one of a very few areas that would be considered "secure" in this town. Linda and Jenny always attempt to forge good relationships with their neighbours, knowing that somewhere down the road the favor may be reciprocated, so they agreed to this. However, it was a surprise, in some ways, as to how it all turned out. To make a very long and involved story short, the one day of distribution ended up being two days, there was little or no organization in place, there was no plan...and there were well over a thousand people lined up outside the walls of the HOH becoming progressively more agitated as time went by. On the first day, the Haitian police were present, as well as about 10-15 UN officers. Food seemed to be distributed, but at an alarmingly slow rate, such that they decided to close everything down and continue the next day. The second day (Friday) the people were once again lined up to well over a thousand, only this time they were crammed into a very long, narrow street. The day was extremely hot...the food was distributed extremely slowly...and tempers were escalating. And, to make everything more exciting, the Haitian police were "needed" elsewhere and the UN were in other places overseeing other food distribution areas. Eventually, some police showed up, as well as 3 UN officers, and they were a "token" presence during this whole process. When people attempted to leave the HOH compound with their food, it took about 5 very large guys, as well as police with sticks, tear gas and tree branches to keep the crowd from surging through. Finally, when they had no food left and had sent the people away, it was time to "pay" the people who had assisted. This actually turned out to be the most agitated situation of all. Some people had worked longer than others....some had actually done something while others had basically sat around the entire time. The same amount of work was not done by all, but everyone was receiving the same amount of pay. Tempers flared and fights broke out as it became every man for himself. Everyone tried to scramble to grab as much rice, beans, cornmeal and containers of oil as they could while others simply tried to take it away. One little old lady collected her food and then basically sat herself right down on top of it all to protect it. She was one tough little cookie because she ended up being caught between the two men who were fighting, but she stood her ground and stayed put right on top of her pile of food. In the end, Linda, Jenny and the older boys from the HOH literally had to shout and push people out the gates to clear the courtyard. The inside gates had already been locked to keep the children away from the chaos. We did not feel that we, ourselves, were in any danger, although it was definitely a situation that felt like a powder keg. That many people in that kind of emotional situation certainly had the potential to escalate very quickly. The people would not have hurt the children or us, but there definitely could have been damage to the HOH had things continued the way they were. It definitely was an experience that we simply could not find words to explain. It was very hard to wrap our minds around the whole thing. Something that could have been accomplished so easily and efficiently was just chaos.
* We had the chance to chat quite a bit with the UN officers that were here for those two days. They seemed to have no use at all for the Haitian police and often commented on how corrupt they were. The officers that were here were from Chad, Jordan, Chile. They, too, were very frustrated with the situation and their inability to be able to do much. One officer from Chile asked us why we were here...why we were not back in Canada in our nice homes, watching tv. We were able to share briefly with him that we loved children, we loved Jenny and we loved Jesus, so that was why we were here. Jen then talked a little more to him about why she had been here for so long. Maybe a little seed was planted.
* Tada!!! This morning we finished processing approximately 70 bins and organizing the depot. It was quite a large undertaking and we were hoping that we would be able to finish it all before we left. Everything is all nice...and neat...and organized. Mmmm. That makes us happy. :)
* We have also been helping Jen with some office work....newsletters, updating the HOH blog, thank you notes.
* Some of you might remember the two babies...Mike and Max...whom we looked after when we were here last time. Little Max returned to his family, but Mike is still here, as he waits for the adoption process to be completed for him to join his family in Monaco. He is about 18 months old and has been so fun to play with. Jen and Da were surprised at how quickly he warmed up to us, as he has been having issues with strangers lately. He became our little friend again very quickly, so we have had fun playing with him, chasing him around and enjoying his little hugs and snuggles.
* Today we have already begun to say a few goodbyes as word has gotten around that we are leaving tomorrow. While we are very happy to be coming home, it is still sad in its own way to leave everyone here. We have been blessed in so many ways...when little ones who looked so sad finally started to smile when we walked into the baby room...when little arms wrapped around our legs...when little toddlers came for their morning hug and kiss....when the older kids started joking around with us and trying out their English. We have received so much more than we have given.
* We just want you to know that your financial support has been appreciated more than words can say. The new year began in a very desperate financial situation for the HOH, even before the earthquake. Your help has eased their burden and worry and they can head into the next while with increased confidence as they continue their ministry to the little ones who already live here, as well as those who will continue to arrive, as a result of the earthquake.
Thank you so much for praying for us the last 2 weeks. And thank you for checking in on our families, too. It has made it easier for us to know that you were all supporting us in so many ways. Please pray for us on Tuesday, as it will be a big travel day again. We leave here at 5:00 in the morning and fly to Port-au-Prince. We arrive there at about 6:30 in the morning and will then wait for Mme. Boucher to meet us again. She may take us around PAP a bit, so we may see some of the areas of PAP that were hit by the earthquake. Our flight leaves PAP at 4:00, so we need to be at the airport around 1:00. Please pray that it will go well, as the entire airport/flying process is a maze at the moment.
See you all soon.
Blessings to you all,
Beth and Heather
Please continue to pray for Haiti,that people would be safe, and that care would find it's way where it is needed most.
Pray for safety for the House of Hope.
Here is the email:
Hi everyone...
Well, it's the morning of our last full day here at the HOH. The time has just flown by! It seems like we just settled in to our routines and were really beginning to connect with everyone here...and our time is over. It has again been an amazing experience as we have seen God's love shared in so many practical ways every day.
A few highlights of the last few days:
* Last week Tuesday, the mayor of the area asked if he could store a very large amount of food at the HOH until Thursday when there would be a food distribution to those who had been affected by the earthquake. The HOH is one of a very few areas that would be considered "secure" in this town. Linda and Jenny always attempt to forge good relationships with their neighbours, knowing that somewhere down the road the favor may be reciprocated, so they agreed to this. However, it was a surprise, in some ways, as to how it all turned out. To make a very long and involved story short, the one day of distribution ended up being two days, there was little or no organization in place, there was no plan...and there were well over a thousand people lined up outside the walls of the HOH becoming progressively more agitated as time went by. On the first day, the Haitian police were present, as well as about 10-15 UN officers. Food seemed to be distributed, but at an alarmingly slow rate, such that they decided to close everything down and continue the next day. The second day (Friday) the people were once again lined up to well over a thousand, only this time they were crammed into a very long, narrow street. The day was extremely hot...the food was distributed extremely slowly...and tempers were escalating. And, to make everything more exciting, the Haitian police were "needed" elsewhere and the UN were in other places overseeing other food distribution areas. Eventually, some police showed up, as well as 3 UN officers, and they were a "token" presence during this whole process. When people attempted to leave the HOH compound with their food, it took about 5 very large guys, as well as police with sticks, tear gas and tree branches to keep the crowd from surging through. Finally, when they had no food left and had sent the people away, it was time to "pay" the people who had assisted. This actually turned out to be the most agitated situation of all. Some people had worked longer than others....some had actually done something while others had basically sat around the entire time. The same amount of work was not done by all, but everyone was receiving the same amount of pay. Tempers flared and fights broke out as it became every man for himself. Everyone tried to scramble to grab as much rice, beans, cornmeal and containers of oil as they could while others simply tried to take it away. One little old lady collected her food and then basically sat herself right down on top of it all to protect it. She was one tough little cookie because she ended up being caught between the two men who were fighting, but she stood her ground and stayed put right on top of her pile of food. In the end, Linda, Jenny and the older boys from the HOH literally had to shout and push people out the gates to clear the courtyard. The inside gates had already been locked to keep the children away from the chaos. We did not feel that we, ourselves, were in any danger, although it was definitely a situation that felt like a powder keg. That many people in that kind of emotional situation certainly had the potential to escalate very quickly. The people would not have hurt the children or us, but there definitely could have been damage to the HOH had things continued the way they were. It definitely was an experience that we simply could not find words to explain. It was very hard to wrap our minds around the whole thing. Something that could have been accomplished so easily and efficiently was just chaos.
* We had the chance to chat quite a bit with the UN officers that were here for those two days. They seemed to have no use at all for the Haitian police and often commented on how corrupt they were. The officers that were here were from Chad, Jordan, Chile. They, too, were very frustrated with the situation and their inability to be able to do much. One officer from Chile asked us why we were here...why we were not back in Canada in our nice homes, watching tv. We were able to share briefly with him that we loved children, we loved Jenny and we loved Jesus, so that was why we were here. Jen then talked a little more to him about why she had been here for so long. Maybe a little seed was planted.
* Tada!!! This morning we finished processing approximately 70 bins and organizing the depot. It was quite a large undertaking and we were hoping that we would be able to finish it all before we left. Everything is all nice...and neat...and organized. Mmmm. That makes us happy. :)
* We have also been helping Jen with some office work....newsletters, updating the HOH blog, thank you notes.
* Some of you might remember the two babies...Mike and Max...whom we looked after when we were here last time. Little Max returned to his family, but Mike is still here, as he waits for the adoption process to be completed for him to join his family in Monaco. He is about 18 months old and has been so fun to play with. Jen and Da were surprised at how quickly he warmed up to us, as he has been having issues with strangers lately. He became our little friend again very quickly, so we have had fun playing with him, chasing him around and enjoying his little hugs and snuggles.
* Today we have already begun to say a few goodbyes as word has gotten around that we are leaving tomorrow. While we are very happy to be coming home, it is still sad in its own way to leave everyone here. We have been blessed in so many ways...when little ones who looked so sad finally started to smile when we walked into the baby room...when little arms wrapped around our legs...when little toddlers came for their morning hug and kiss....when the older kids started joking around with us and trying out their English. We have received so much more than we have given.
* We just want you to know that your financial support has been appreciated more than words can say. The new year began in a very desperate financial situation for the HOH, even before the earthquake. Your help has eased their burden and worry and they can head into the next while with increased confidence as they continue their ministry to the little ones who already live here, as well as those who will continue to arrive, as a result of the earthquake.
Thank you so much for praying for us the last 2 weeks. And thank you for checking in on our families, too. It has made it easier for us to know that you were all supporting us in so many ways. Please pray for us on Tuesday, as it will be a big travel day again. We leave here at 5:00 in the morning and fly to Port-au-Prince. We arrive there at about 6:30 in the morning and will then wait for Mme. Boucher to meet us again. She may take us around PAP a bit, so we may see some of the areas of PAP that were hit by the earthquake. Our flight leaves PAP at 4:00, so we need to be at the airport around 1:00. Please pray that it will go well, as the entire airport/flying process is a maze at the moment.
See you all soon.
Blessings to you all,
Beth and Heather
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