hear my cry

It hasn’t been as easy to find the time to post about some of my stories and experiences as I thought it would be, but not a day goes by that I don’t think about the kids in Haiti. It’s almost strange how three weeks can cause your heart to expand and love those children so quickly. It sometimes aches to miss them and want to hold them, but the memories of their smiles and precious faces bring me an incredible amount of joy as well.

 

I think about the afternoons and evenings at the baby house, and I can still hear in my mind what it sounds like when the nursery becomes chaotic and dozens of toddlers are fussing and crying all over the second floor. I was amazed because after I had been there for about a week and started to really get to know my kids, something strange happened. Out of the clamor and commotion on the floor above, any volunteer will tell you that you can often distinguish your child’s cry from the rest. Somehow, in the midst of the overwhelming uproar of children’s howls and screams, your ears become sensitive to the plea of the child that you know.

 

I have to wonder if it is somewhat like this with God.

 

What I mean is that there are billions of us here on earth. From the heavens I’d imagine that we look like a colony of panicked ants, scurrying around through our busy days, hectic schedules, and unpredictable lives. If we were honest we’d admit that we are all a mess, and we are constantly crying to God with our pleas for help, sharing with Him our anxieties, fears, joys, sorrows, and doubts. How in the world does He hear us all? How can He possibly be attentive to all of our prayers? Is it even possible?

 

I can’t pretend to understand completely, but in a small way I felt like God was showing me that it is possible. He hears us because He knows us. He knows each and every one of us on an intimate and personal level, because He made us and formed us from the inside out. He knows us better than we know ourselves because we are His. And He undoubtedly hears our cries. What a beautiful thing.

 

I’m comforted that if even I, who knew these kids only for a matter of weeks, could hear their cries, God even more so hears them and answers them in their times of distress and trouble. I am so thankful for a God that has compassion and love beyond what I can comprehend. Continue to pray that He comforts them, surrounds them, and heals them from the inside out.

 

And be encouraged that when you pray, God does hear you and answers you in His infinite might and wisdom. He knows you and listens for your voice. Thank goodness for our faithful God!

 

“ You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call you, for you will answer me.

Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.”

-Psalm 86:5-10

back home

They tell you it will be weird going back home, a little bit of a shock…and it is.

 I wasn’t ready to leave, but I knew that I never fully would be. I imagine it would be impossible for me to reach a point where I didn’t want to hold my kids or make them smile just one more time. It’s starting to hit me now how much I miss them. I went through last night and showed my mom the hundreds of pictures I took from the trip, and now even she misses them. You really can capture a lot in a picture. Being home now though, I have no regrets about my trip and I wouldn’t change a thing. It was the most fulfilling three weeks and I’m glad that I can at least say that.

Traveling yesterday was fine, but still a long process that I could do without. I forgot that traveling internationally means a whole lot of waiting in line after line….security, customs, immigration, security again, re-checking baggage, you name it. I’m also the first to admit that I’m a little challenged when it comes to navigating airports. At one point a man directed me to a map, not knowing that maps actually look more like complicated puzzles to me…I am my mother’s daughter. I got a lot of walking in and found the places I needed to be, and after some bad weather and plane delays I finally landed in Dallas. I departed the plane with the goofiest grin that I couldn’t get off of my face because I was so excited to see and hug my parents. I took off with my embarrassing smile…booking it in the wrong direction. Didn’t take me too long to realize it though, and I turned around and found my folks. Man it felt good to hug them again.

I’ve experienced my fair share of culture shock being back, but that was something I expected. It hits you quickly as the aerial view of the impoverished, scattered slums of Haiti are juxtaposed with the affluent, neatly planned neighborhoods of America.  Also, in one of the airports I was sitting behind a boy who kept showing me his Toy Story doll. He was an energetic little fellow, chatting it up and restlessly standing and walking around from chair to chair. Anyways, the mom looked back at one point and I asked her how old her son was. When she answered and told me he was two, I think my mouth dropped a little bit. My mind immediately flashed to the two-year-olds I just spent three weeks with, all of whom haven’t learned to speak yet, and many that can’t even walk or much less jump around even if they wanted to. Not to mention, they were all about half of this American boy’s size. It was pretty unreal.

Waking up in my bed this morning was bizarre. I’m not usually very coherent upon waking up, but I noticed two things immediately. First I was shocked at how dark it still was at 6:00 a.m. I had forgotten that the whole world doesn’t start getting bright at about 4:30. Second, it was almost eerie how silent it was. I wrote a post earlier about all of the sounds in Haiti…and it truly is insanely quieter here. Kind of nice, but I also really miss the noises. It is just such a different feel.

I just got back from a jog, and the paved roads of my neighborhood were definitely refreshing. I found myself looking up significantly more rather than staring at my feet, trying to avoid holes, cracks, and drop-offs. Again, it felt so quiet on my run, almost empty compared to the mornings of passing countless friendly faces in Haiti. I finally passed a couple walking their dog, and I think I greeted them a little extra loud and excited, Haitian style. But everyone else I passed were people zooming by in cars, probably making their drive to work in the comfort of their own vehicles. It made me realize how much industrial revolutions and advancements in technology transform things. We don’t walk everywhere on foot here greeting each other and waving to everyone in our neighborhood, and it’s simply because we don’t have to. Just about all of us have access to our own vehicle, and if we are walking somewhere, a lot of times we are also in the middle of a conversation on our cell phones or maybe even plugged into our ipods. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the comfort of my car and music just as much as anyone. But I’m just noticing that it’s vastly different here. I feel like most of these fancy luxuries that we have access to have robbed us of a sense of community and living life together that I felt was present in Haiti. They’ve changed things that I don’t think we even realize have changed anymore. I hope that makes sense.

There’s so much I couldn’t blog about while I was in Haiti because of both lack of time and reliable internet, so I’m sure over this week or whenever I’ll update occasionally with random posts, whether it be stories I can’t stop thinking about or reflections as I have a lot of time to think now back at home.

I’m grateful that I made it back safely, but it’s definitely a slow and strange transition coming home. I’m a little bit glad though of all of the things I now notice, and I almost hope it does take awhile to reach the day when it feels completely normal to be here and not in Haiti.

Again, thank you all for your prayers and for those of who made this trip possible. I can honestly say it’s one of the most amazing journeys that God has taken me on in my life. I’ll hopefully post with more pictures soon…love you guys and am glad I have been able to share at least a little bit of my experience with you!

so long, farewell

I only have a few minutes, but we're at the house with internet (rare) so I thought I'd make a quick post. It's my last night here, and I'm just spending my last few minutes with each of my kids. It's definitely harder on me than it is on them, because they have no idea what's going on. I don't think these kids realize how lovable they are...they don't make it easy to leave, that's for sure.

It was an incredible last weekend, and Haitian church this morning was such a unique experience. I think once I get home I'll blog about everything when I have more time! Until then...we're about to head home and I'll have to see if I can pack everything in my bag to fit...hope so!

My flight leaves at about 10 in the morning, so we'll leave our house at 7:15 or so. Pray for safe travels if you think about it, and that everything goes smoothly in customs and the airports! It just stopped raining so we're going to walk home...love you guys and a longer update is soon to come!

reminded by a child

I came to Haiti with hopes of serving children in need. People tell you to expect the unexpected, but really that statement makes zero sense. Once you expect something, it’s no longer unexpected…so technically it’s impossible to expect the unexpected. My point is that I never expected that the eight children I’ve worked with would end up showing and teaching me possibly even more than I have shown them myself. I had to do an exit interview yesterday where I tell the staff here about the progress of all of my kids, and during it I came to the realization that through all of my individual kids I have been shown and reminded of so much. This could get lengthy, but I’ll try to sum them up below…

First is Shonnie. She’s one of my younger girls who has only been at the orphanage for maybe a month now and definitely has a special place in my heart. She longs to be held and is content as long as she is touching you, or basically as long as she knows she is still in the safety of your presence. Once she is left alone, she immediately feels out of her comfort zone and absolutely wails out of terror. It’s extremely hard, but I have to let her cry in order for her to grow and to realize that she is safe and ok. Shonnie reminds me that while I sometimes avoid pushing myself beyond my comfort zone, it often takes that step of faith in order to grow, to learn, and to become a stronger person. And most of the time, you realize things really will be ok.

M-man is one of my favorite boys. He is a little shy, and whenever I pick him up he clings to me like a monkey. Literally his arms and legs wrap around me so tight that I could not use my arms at all and he would be just fine. M-man has reminded me to hold tight to the people you love in life. Don’t take them for granted, but embrace them, and never miss an opportunity to show them how important they are to you.

D-Love has the biggest eyes out of all of my kids, and most of the time during our hour together she simply looks around at everything with both eyes and mouth open wide. D-Love reminds me to stop and soak in the wonderful things around me. I think in almost any situation you can look around and realize that you are blessed abundantly. God blesses us continuously, but sometimes the blessings are subtle…so approach life with big eyes, never overlooking a chance to thank Him for what He’s given you.

J-man is a boy who has completely stolen my heart. He is just one of the cutest, sweetest little boys I have ever spent time with, and I normally try to grab him after dinner so I can hang out with him twice a day. We read together, and sometimes he’ll babble words and sounds that are adorable. Or sometimes he’ll walk around and bring things to show me. He always goes for my nalgene…every day, and I think one day he might be a camp counselor. His new favorite is when I push him around in a car, and when I walk away he just looks back at me pointing and smiling so I’m forced to come back. It’s funny though, because if you had asked me my first week who my favorite kids were, I don’t think I would have said that he’d be one of my favorite boys. A lot of times he keeps a tough, pensive look on his face…he always looks focused or concerned. At first I thought it would be tough to get to know this kid and enjoy the hour with him. J-man reminds me that we can be quick to judge based on appearances and outward things, but most of the time we are wrong. Give people a chance, try to acknowledge when you’re making a quick judgment, and make an effort to get to know others’ hearts and where they’re coming from. Most of the time both of you will be better off because of it.

J-son is my happiest baby by far. He is a precious little boy and just about anything you do makes an excited grin stretch across his face. He is my constant, and I always know that no matter how long the day, his smile will encourage me. He reminds me that while there are reasons in life to be sad, there are even more reasons to rejoice and celebrate. And when you do, when it’s truly evident on your face how plentiful your joy is within, there’s a good chance that you’re bringing joy to those around you as well.

Bennie is another favorite. He is absolutely adorable but struggles emotionally at times. You can tell he gets nervous easily because he grips everything (my hair and skin included) and sometimes rocks himself back and forth. But sometimes I’ll spin him around, throw him in the air, or tickle his belly, and he lets go. Finally his gorgeous smile stretches on his face, and his eyes completely light up and squint at the sides. His face transforms, and in that moment he looks as though he doesn’t have a care in the world. Bennie reminds me of the fact that a lot of me wants to try to control my life. I have a tendency to hold on to certain things or ideas, and I have a hard time completely surrendering them over. But when I realize I am not in control, and when I realize I have a loving, sovereign Father whose ways are higher than anything I could comprehend…it’s then that I let go and truly experience peace and joy.

Jeffy, as you probably know by now, is my fighter. What a transformation it has been with that kid. He has become profoundly better at walking now…but it’s still not a piece of cake. He loses his balance easily and falls every ten steps or so, but I’m continually amazed at his ability to pick himself right back up and keep walking. Jeffy reminds me to keep moving forward. There’s a quote about “it’s not about the number of times you fall, but the number of times you get back up”…something along those lines, I may have butchered it. Anyways, it’s almost become a cliché saying, but never have I seen that mentality illustrated so vividly as I have in the life of this child. He inspires me more than I thought was possible for a two-year-old to inspire me.

Findy is another little boy that I have. He’s easy to love, and is generally a pretty cheerful baby. He is cute…but all of the volunteers will agree that he has the face of an old man. It may sound funny…but Findy reminds me that you can gain a lot of wisdom from youth, children, and even babies. God can teach you through any life, young or old, and that’s definitely something I’ll walk away with from this experience.

Yesterday I took a group picture all of my kids that I’ll try and post when I have some time. It’s pretty funny, because I think I am the only one smiling. It was hot, and apparently they don’t like being all together at once…so just about all of them (except J-son, my constant) are crying…or perhaps bawling is a more accurate word. But it will be fun for you to see them all anyways, so I’ll try and do that!

It’s my last full day with the kiddos. It’s weird to say that, and I think I’m in denial that I’m leaving. Thanks for thinking about them or praying for them when you do. They are precious kids and I’ve absolutely loved getting to know them. I’m going to soak up these last few days here…and hopefully they don’t go by too fast.

sounds of haiti

Disclaimer: This post is not so much a typical update as it is a random observation.

It is never completely silent here in Haiti.

I woke up early this morning and thought about the fact that now that I’ve really adjusted here, there’s sort of a rhythm to this place. Perhaps it’s cheesy, but in my mind it’s almost like there’s a constant soundtrack playing on repeat…I’ll try and explain.

It begins each morning, oh let’s say around 5:30 when the noises trigger my tossing and turning in my bunk bed. Outside my window there’s a constant chirping of birds and bugs of different sorts, but around this time is when the roosters apparently come to life. The play button has been pressed. From here it progresses, and sometime within the next hour you can expect to hear the toddlers and older kids wake up. You never know exactly what that sound will be; sometimes the kids are crying (about who knows what at 6:30 in the morning) and other times they wake up with an energy and enthusiasm that I’m not sure I have ever personally experienced so early. On a good morning the kids are singing, chanting, or spurting our random bits of Creole that I unfortunately cannot translate. The neighborhood seems to come to life with the banging and clanging of people cooking, cleaning, and preparing for the day ahead.

The next predictable sounds follow when we make our daily walk from the house we sleep at to the main house. This is when you hear the sounds of cautious steps and slipping gravel, indicating the inexperience of American girls in flip flops trekking down steep slopes also known as Haitian roads (accompanied by occasional laughter at near wipeouts and close calls). Cars and motorcycles honk and politely toot their horns to let you know they’re coming, and in this country pedestrians yield to vehicles. They don’t have the triangle signs like we do…you just quickly learn. And most of all, you hear the sounds of greeting and good mornings in Creole from just about everyone you pass. It’s an enjoyable little hike.

At the main house, we joke about how we hardly notice the perpetual sound of crying babies anymore. It’s actually more noticeable if we come to the house and it’s quiet, and only then do we wonder if something is wrong. On the second floor behind every door you hear kids wailing, screaming, throwing tantrums of various sorts, and just being kids. We take a kid every hour to the third floor where the balcony is, and on the balcony you hear just about anything. Sometimes it’s volunteers “oohing” and “aahing” over their babies, laughing as they tickle their bellies, and praising their attempts at standing or walking. Other moments you’ll hear the voice of volunteers scolding their children and reminding them not to fling large objects at other babies or eat smashed particles of raisins and other unidentified foods off the ground.

The ringing of the bell always indicates a meal, and mealtimes are surprisingly sometimes the quietest parts of the day. It’s around the table that we rejuvenate and rest from the constant attention it takes to care for children. You can still hear the kids on the floor above us, but like I said…we hardly notice it anymore.

At the end of the day, it’s chaotic commotion on the second floor. You can tell from the noise that there’s something about getting ready for bed that makes the babies go crazy. We walk into the babies’ room after dinner to grab a kid and watch the sunset, and it’s one of the most rowdy places I’ve ever encountered. Nannies are snatching up toddlers every which way as they change their diapers, powder their little bodies, and throw them into some jammies. The other toddlers are running around and fighting for their lives in there. It’s pretty comical.

As the night winds down, we’re driven back to our house and always greeted by the excited sounds of jovial kids in the playground. It’s a different noise being around kids who are actually old enough to talk back to you and say hello or ask you what your name is. It’s a warm, sweet ending to the day being welcomed by such bright and cheerful faces.

Now I sit on my bed, and again we’re back to the beginning…the constant chirping of birds and bugs of various sorts outside my window. We’ll turn on the box fan in here to muffle out some of the noise, and I’ll fall asleep to its familiar hum. Day in and day out, with some exceptions and additions of course, it sounds just about the same. And that is the best that I can describe the unique and delightful soundtrack of Haiti.

We’ll end with a bonus track:

It started pouring down rain again this afternoon, and I mean it poured hard. It creates a different mood on the balcony, and the sound of the downpour is actually kind of powerful. It was ironic because I read a part in Job this morning that related perfectly:

“At this my heart pounds and leaps from its place. Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice, to the rumbling that comes from his mouth. He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth. After that comes the sound of his roar; He thunders with his majestic voice. When his voice resounds back, he holds nothing back. God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.”

–Job 37:1-5

On that note, good night everyone! Love you all..

eye-openers

These past couple of days have been amazing. The weekend overall was such a blast and also a perfect amount of rest. Here are a few eye-opening happenings and/or highlights to update you on:

1) On Sunday we walked the most incredible hike to this area of waterfalls. I was literally doing circles looking around at how beautiful my surroundings were. I didn’t take any pictures that would do it justice (I feel like there’s not even a panoramic setting that could come close to being able to do that), but it felt like we were tucked in the valley of this incredibly lush and green mountain that should be on postcards. We followed a trail to the first waterfall, and with every waterfall you could climb up over it to find more waterfalls. A few of us ventured a pretty good ways, and if we had time I would have loved to keep going!

It was pretty humorous because we drew the typical crowd of Haitians that were curious of us white folk. These precious girls followed us as we walked back, and it was humbling to have a 7-year-old Haitian reach her hand out to help me make my way down some boulders. The kids laugh at us because they practically leap down the path like it’s nothing while we stumble our way to the bottom. I’m sure it’s a funny sight to see.

2) Our hike also increased my respect for the local Haitian kids here. First, we passed kids who hike down to this water with huge buckets to do their laundry. Immediately I was convicted for ever complaining about doing laundry. Never again.

Not only that…the Haitian girls that walked back with us from the waterfall were walking back with jugs of water to take to their homes. It’s impressive enough that these 7 and 8-year-old girls were hiking to get drinking water for their families, but then Becca and I offered to carry the water for the girls while they walked with us. Now I’m no bodybuilder of any sorts, but I figured I could do what any 7-year-old girl can do, right? Becca and I laughed at ourselves because I can’t tell you how quickly those gallons of water became pretty stinkin' heavy. I think my most strenuous chore growing up may have been cleaning the kitty litter. I never realized how easy I had it.

3) On a completely different note, this Sunday I saw a mom drop off her baby at the orphanage. It was a rare situation, because her baby was born earlier that morning. The mom was dropping it off because the baby was extremely premature and it was basically her only chance for her newborn to survive. The baby was hardly any longer than the length of my hand, and I was so shocked at the sight of a human being so small. I can’t explain how unreal it looked. The baby is in an incubator and I think doing fine considering the circumstances.

Beyond that, it’s been a great beginning of the week. Mondays usually seem pretty long, but today was one of the best days I’ve had here so far. We got a new group in from Alabama today, and it’s a team of 7 people that will be here for a week! It’s fun to have them and it will definitely be a cozy fit in the house at mealtimes. We have to take car rides back and forth from the houses at night, and let’s just say we had 12 people squeezed into an SUV tonight…I actually love it. It’s kind of a challenge to see how many people we can fit!

It rained this afternoon (only the second time it's rained in Haiti since I've been here). It was refreshing considering it’s about 15 degrees cooler on the balcony when it rains. We all hung out with our babies under the covering and it was really kind of cozy. A good excuse to snuggle with the kids and spend some quality time with all of the volunteers…

My kids were all great today. Jeffy is continuing to take more steps! He laughs a lot more these days and is constantly improving. J-man is also so much fun. He had a good ol’ time in his new favorite Fisher Price car today…and his smile is adorable. He is one of those kids who I hate putting back in the nursery when the hour is up. Some of the kids are fine, but others kind of crumble and cry when you leave them. It breaks my heart. M-man, D-Love, and J-son were all great as well. These kids are awesome.

You can keep Shonnie and Bennie in your prayers. They are two of my favorites, but two that I still worry about sometimes. Shonnie still screams whenever she isn’t touching me or being held. She has come an incredibly long way since day one…she used to not even laugh or smile, but she still has some sort of detachment issues. I’m hoping she continues to improve emotionally. I think Bennie has some of the same issues. Sometimes when babies have been hurt or abandoned by people in their lives, I guess they begin to disassociate themselves from people. He rarely makes eye contact, and it’s like he tries to hold back from smiling. I make it a goal to never spend a day without getting him to smile…but it just breaks my heart that he obviously has some deep rooted issues that affect him more than I know. I love this guy so much, and just pray that he continues to heal.

God has blessed me so much here through the beauty of this place, the miraculous lives of the children, the devoted hearts of volunteers, and just the opportunity to see and serve in a world outside of my own. I hope he continues to open my eyes to His character, His love, and His sovereignty while I am here.

Sorry it was a bit lengthy…but today has been wonderful…hopefully a trend that continues throughout the week! Have a good night!!

pandemonium

What a great day it’s been so far! It is my first non-work weekend here, so we woke up (relatively) late, ate some breakfast, did some cleaning around the house, and then headed into town. If I could describe Haitian shopping in one word, it would be “chaos”. For sure.

Our first stop was a place called The Lookout. The name makes sense. It’s a place with a decent amount of shopping and an incredible balcony area that looks out over Port-au-Prince. The view is breathtaking, and we could even see the beautiful Caribbean waters!

This was my first encounter with shopping in Haiti, so I made my fair share of rookie mistakes. My first purchase was an overpriced shirt that I found especially cute, and in my defense I did lower the price by about half! In retrospect, I still spent too much and failed to pay attention to the size of the shirt. Let’s just say it will make an adorable maternity shirt one day! Some of the girls say it will look really cute with a belt around it. I think they are being kind. I somehow also got suckered into buying a less than attractive bracelet thing, and that’s when I grabbed Alecia and Becca to walk with me. Strength in numbers.

I like to think I improved quickly in my bartering tactics. The Haitians are hilarious though and persistent to say the least. For those of you who know me well, I struggle with being blunt…but I think today’s experience brought me a long way. There were several times that I couldn’t control myself and busted out laughing because they shove these ridiculous goods and trinkets in your face to buy, and even when you blatantly refuse they go on about their paintings, how you need to come look, how they need money, how they will give you “special price”…it’s hysterical. I think I made some of them mad by offering ridiculously low prices, but it's all part of the game...and usually when you start to walk away they give in anyways! We didn’t linger at the Lookout for too long, but I found some neat paintings and a couple other small things. The artists really are incredibly talented, and they had so many to choose from that it was extremely difficult to pick out what I wanted! My indecisiveness got the best of me at several points.

Our next stop was the Baptist Mission. It’s a really neat place that I’m glad I got to visit, and we sat down to buy some lunch and refuel. I had the first turkey sandwich I’ve had in awhile, and it tasted wonderful! I was glad to have a lunch without rice. After eating, we headed back out to brave the streets once more. I knew this would be my only day of shopping in Haiti, so I tried to have a game plan, but it gets pretty easy to loose focus out there! They had a larger selection at the mission, so we found some fun gifts and souvenirs. The funniest part of the day was at the end of our shopping excursion when somehow Becca and I were the only two Americans together. We were looking at vases or something, and I kid you not…there were about 10 or so different salesmen basically circling us and trying to lure us to their stands. The plus side was we got some really great bargains out of it! But by the end of it all when we had a pile of an embarrassing amount of goods in our hands, we looked at each other and said, “what just happened??” It was rather amusing. Joyce, our driver for the day, literally pulled up next to us in her car and had to help us escape the pandemonium. I like to think that we boosted the Haitian economy a little bit today. What a hysterical experience.

On the way home we stopped briefly at a farmers’ market type place. There were tons of fresh vegetables and different kinds of meat (smelled a little awful). We didn’t buy anything, but it was a cool thing to see.

We’re now relaxing at the house. It’s really warm here today…so it feels good to just lay down and nap or read. We have dinner in a couple of hours, and we’ll probably enjoy a movie or do something low-key tonight. It was such a fun day overall. I came back from shopping with only $3 in my pocket, but don’t worry mom…I thought ahead and left a safe amount of cash back at home so I couldn’t spend my whole stash of spending money!

Tomorrow we have church, and I’m excited to see what that is like here. I can’t believe I only have one week left with my kids. I know I will miss them and this place a lot. I’m praying that next week I will not only soak up every opportunity here but also pour out every chance I get. Pray that He’ll equip me to serve and love in a way that brings Him glory. I hope I’ll continue to learn and grow through this next week as well!

Love you guys, and hope you're all enjoying the weekend!

"One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord are loving."

-Psalm 62:11