Day 1 Selfie

Well I don't usually like to talk about myself, but I did come across something last week that closely resembles me so I thought I'd share it.  This is the little Dr. Phil test that I'm sure most of you have seen. Well I answered the questions and this is what it described as my personality. I didn't need a test to tell me this! I'm really a nice person, but I do have my quirks. Throughout school I was either a snob or a threat. I remember once that some girls told me (after the fact) that they were very afraid of me in high school. What? Me?!  Some of it was my standoffish persona and some had to do with the fact that my brother took me and picked me up from school on his motorcycle. They actually thought I was a biker! Anyway- as stated in this description, I may take a while to warm up, but I'll be with you until the end- unless you hurt me or my family. I'm really working on the second chances thing. I'm just not too good with that. So if I've come off as a snob to you, I apologize. I won't blame my personality, but that is the way I'm wired. I'm still working on that circuit:)

Haiti PAD 17 - Your Addiction

Let me warn you in advance, there are going to be several pictures in this post.  I finally had to just stop.  I could've posted something about every picture in my file.  Some may say my addiction is the children of Haiti. They are precious.  Their smiles are contagious.  Their urgency to gain your attention and desire to be held and hugged and loved by you is insatiable.  Their fortitude to persevere in conditions we would never consider for our own children is admirable, yet heart wrenching at the same time.  Certainly, I am drawn to them and very interested in their educational experience as well as their health and wholeness.  Some could say I am addicted to the adults of Haiti.  They are hardworking and eager to provide for their families.  Although their practices may not be what we would consider an acceptable standard, they are doing the very best that they know how to do.  That is why I love the work of The Church of Hope and their consistency in communication and monitoring of the needs of families.


 My addiction is the HOPE of the Mission of Hope.  My addiction is seeing lives changed and young people become disciples for the people of their country.  Such as our translators for the week.  We have always had the most amazing translators on our visits.  They allow us to share God's love when communication could be a barrier between us.  They minister to me greatly through their devotion and boldness when talking to, praying with, and laboring for the people we visit. Their lives are changed by God's love and my life is changed by the HOPE of how God will use their life to transform Haiti.

My addiction is young North Americans who give their time and money to serve the nation I love, for weeks and months at a time.  They sometimes move from campus to campus weekly - living out of backpacks.  They take cold water showers; drink hot water gatorade; eat the same 4-5 meals weekly; and never complain about a daily dose of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  I hope their lives are forever changed by their experiences during their stay in Haiti.  

My addiction is the love I see in my children when they are in Haiti. They never cease to amaze me with their tireless work, unconditional love (even for those who aren't wearing pants :0), flexibility in schedule and appetite, and most of all a passion for missions.  No matter what role they may play, I am certain that these trips in their early years will impact their lives for as long as they will allow it.  I am never more proud (and scared) as when my 12 year old asks what kind of college degree she needs to get to go work in Haiti.

 My addiction is HOPE for a nation.  Hope for transformation for every man, woman, and child who will in turn transform their nation with a focus on God.  Hope for restoration, provision, and continuation of God's work in the people of a nation that will forever be a part of my life and love.

Catch Up Haiti PAD 11-16

I know I haven't written in a while but I have a good reason.  Our team was sharing our pictures and I was waiting to share some of the other pictures from our group.  Since I have been several times, I forget to photograph what it would look like through the eyes of a first timer.  So I have a few more pics to share in this post.

PAD 11 - Letter.  I know this is a Cross, but it also makes the letter 't' and it is just a great picture.  This is on one of the hills between the church on a high hill and the valley of one of the sections of the village of Laveque.  It is such a beautiful view and you can tell how big they made this Cross in relation to the person walking beside it.

PAD 12 - Texture - So this is a picture of the cloth closet at 3 Cords.  It is amazing the various types of textures and colors that they have been so blessed with.  If you haven't heard the story of 3 Cords, visit their website at http://www.3cordshaiti.com.  You can also purchase their products there.  You will be blessed by their stories and the quality of their products.  

PAD 13 - Open - This is a typical working day in any major city or village.  They are open for business.  I believe this was probably taken in Port au Prince, but am not certain.  It just looks like a regular scene in PAP.   You can buy just about anything that you would want or need in a single market setting.  

PAD 14 - Building - This is a bathroom that you will find every few houses in Laveque.

PAD 15 - Finger - This guy was just too cute and he happened to be chewing on a finger!

 PAD 16 - Sign - This is one of the mobile clinics that is placed at Bercy.  I think this is just so cool!

Haiti PAD 10 - My Favorite Color

Haiti PAD 10 is My Favorite Color - Well that is so hard to choose out of all of my pics.  So I chose the one that truely is one of my favorites and has many colors.  These houses are in the same community that I posted the pics from the garden earlier.  This community was established after the earthquake to house those who lost their homes and were living in tents.  One section of this village houses a deaf community.  They recently built a church right behind where I am taking this picture from - up on a hill where you can see the entire village.  They even have a sign language interpreter for Sunday services!  The Haitians really love bright colors and you can see in this picture the various colors of homes.  The Mission of Hope visitors have painted the inside and outside of these homes.  You will see purple, pink, dark green, turquois green, yellow, beige, blue, red, and more.  On this day, Leslie and I were drawing a "map" of the villages for the Village Champions and the Mission to have for reference.  Well guess what we used for markers of rows?  Yep - the color of the houses.  The vegetation has grown so much that you can't see all of the homes, but it is a beautiful sight to see the sea of colors from that mountain top.  The goal for this community is to build 500 homes.  They are well on their way.  If you look back through the last couple of years of my Haiti albums, I have taken pictures from each year from this view.  It is amazing to see the rapid growth of homes, greenery, and life in general.  They have also starting the building process for the elementary school in this village!!  That makes me so happy!!
Tori

Haiti PAD 8-9

Haiti PAD 8 is LUNCH!  So this is a traditional Haitian meal that we eat a couple of times

while in Haiti.  Once on Sunday evening from a restaurant that was established by a couple of brothers who are graduates of the School of Hope.  And the other time is at the beach on Friday.  It is 3 chicken legs covered in some kind of delicious red sauce that I can't describe, beans and rice, fried plantain, and a spicy slaw.  It is delicious!  Also at the beach we take some fresh pineapple - the BEST you will ever eat, watermelon, AVACADOS....big ones!  You can also purchase fresh crab and lobster straight from the water and have it prepared and brought back to you, or a coconut.  I guess that is why I can never finish my meal!  Most days our lunch consist of PB&J or chicken/tuna salad sandwiches so we are always looking forward to this meal. All of the food is very good when we visit.

Haiti PAD 9 is BIG!  The mountains in Haiti are enormous and beautiful as seen here.  The translators were asking me if we had mountains in Texas.  I could only laugh and try to explain what a "hill" is.  A couple of years ago, we drove up in the mountains to a waterfall and the view was breathtaking.  On the drive to the beach, you can look and see huts far up on the mountainside.  I have no idea how they get there, but they do.  Oh yes - on the motorcycles that they make seat 4!  I tried to put these pics together but they turned out too small, so I decided to share them all.  The other BIG for today is the ocean.  Of course being from Texas and seeing "Texas Beaches" as well as the southern coast from Texas to Florida and even California, this is just.....well.....I don't know the right word.  Beautiful doesn't really describe it for me.  I know there are pretty beaches everywhere, this just happens to be the best that I have seen.  Perhaps it is because of the experiences I have during the week and then when I see the majesty of God's creation, I am encouraged and overjoyed to know that God has given the Haitians such an amazing landscape.  I know he desires to restore that nation for the transformation of every man, woman, and child.

Tori

Haiti PAD 5-7

Ok, busy few days, so I have some catching up to do.  July 5 is On the Floor so I have added a couple of photos of some of the activities we did on the floor.  Like jump-rope, soccer, and most of the time we are on the floor just holding kids and letting them look at pictures on our camera.  There are many more pics of us in the the floor with kids in my facebook album.

Day 6 was Chair and I posted a pic of an adorable chair on Day 1 so we will just call that one good.

Day 7 is Garden and I have some perfect pics for Garden.  3 years ago, our team actually cleared this land with machetes.  Its hard to believe this is the same land.  On this particular day, we visited this house and while a few of our team and interpreters talked with the family, the rest of us cleaned up the garden.  They were growing beans, watermelons, and plantain trees.  Other gardens included lots of flowers, various herbs, banana trees, mango and papaya trees, and other vegetation.  They use the "clean up" vegetation around the base of the trees for a sort of compost I guess.  We were pulling what we thought were weeds and putting them in a pile before they told us to put it around the base of the trees and evidently, some of what we were pulling wasn't weeds - oops.  There was this one tiny guy that was just working away with us.  He was adorable!  He worked so hard.  This was a very hot/humid day, but the reward of their faces and gratefulness was well worth the sweat and sores.
Tori

Haiti PAD 3 & 4

PAD 3 is Favorite Part of Your Day.  In Haiti, my favorite part of the day takes place on Tuesday evening at the prayer and worship service.  I know the pic isn't the best, but it was dark and people are moving and jumping and it is just hard to get a good pic with your camera waving in the air.  It is amazing on Tuesday how many people walk from surrounding villages or countryside to the Church of Hope for a time of worship and prayer.  They are relentless in their worship!  It is SO loud in that tabernacle.  There are really no words to describe or video to show how electric the atmosphere is at that service.  We sing in Creole and English and I love to hear them belting out the English words.  I don't know if they know what they are singing, but they shout the words as loudly as their Creole words.  On this night, we even ended with a Conga Line!

PAD 4 is FUN!  On Friday, we have a beach day at an amazing resort.  It is so beautiful and relaxing. They have rowboats that you can take out for some snorkeling (rower included), crab and lobster straight from the water for lunch, a plethora of souvenirs, and as you can see, jet skis.  Cooper wanted to ride with someone crazy so Aaron took her for a little ride.  I loved hearing her screams when they took a dip or hit a wave!  She had FUN!  Beach day is always kind of a mix of emotions for me.  You almost forget where you are with the beauty of the water, the flowers, and the facilities.  But for me, it means it is my last day there and the next day I will be leaving the people and place that I love.

Tori

July PAD - Busy

The photo for today is BUSY.  I just put a few pics together of various things that kept us and Haitians busy during our visit and every day.  Top left is a man named No-No.  He is a technician at the prosthetics lab at the mission.  While we were there, he was busy trimming down the form for a patient's leg. They stay very busy at the lab building, fitting, teaching patients of all ages.  Top mid is one of our days in the village.  We are always busy holding children and visiting families while in the villages.  Top right - just a couple of girls painting a house.  You can always count on a painting project while in Haiti.  They love for all things to be COLORFUL! Bottom left is several children who were busy braiding Aaron's hair.  Bottom mid was a family that we visited.  A man and his 5 GORGEOUS children.  Not only do these children keep him busy, but we also saw him working with the men at the 'community center' on another day that we were there.  He also told us that he has like 17 kids around Haiti and the US.  I guess he is busy.  Right mid - more painting, but Taylor is so cute, I had to post it!  Bottom right again is one of our visits to our focus village.  On this day, we were busy walking the roads, visiting families, praying for them, and just offering to help with anything that we could do.  I always tell our groups that after the first day, this trip goes so fast because we stay so busy.  There were lots of other activities that kept us busy, but I'll save them for another day.

Tori

July Photo A Day Challenge - Haiti

So I thought I would do another monthly challenge for July and use my Haiti pictures and stories.  I only uploaded about 300, surely I can find 31 that will work.  So July 1 is a self portrait.  This isn't really a portrait, but it is a fun pic.  This was taken on our first work day in Haiti.  We were painting the inside of a lady's house.  She cleaned everything out so that we could have room to paint.  This tiny chair next to me is a staple in Haitian homes.  We joke that all of the children do the "Haitian Squat" because they squat very close to the ground to talk and play and stay there much longer than I am able to.  So I guess this chair is good training for that.  There was a team member with me that was holding a child and the owner of the chair insisted that this member sit in the chair to hold the child.  You can imagine the troubled look on her face as I encouraged her to take a seat.  Surprisingly, these little things are very sturdy.  So I guess you could get a few lessons out of this story.  1) even if it's too little, still try to fit into it (lol) 2) offer a lady holding a baby your seat and take a seat when offered  3)  sometimes the small ones are just as strong or stronger than the big ones - faith, prayer, actions, words, gestures, etc...   So I hope you don't grow weary of my pics and stories over the next month.
Enjoy -
Tori

Travel Notes

Well, if you follow me on facebook, you know that today was quite the adventure as far as our travel goes.  We returned to the United States through Miami last night from our mission trip to Haiti.  I'll be blogging about that soon.  Our flight was to leave Miami this morning at 6:20 and I should've been in Lubbock by 10:30 am.  After many twists, turns, and tears, our family was all reunited about 7:00 pm.  If you really want to hear the details, comment, and I'll try to make it interesting for you.  I kept looking for a reason for all of the situations that arose today.  I don't know yet if I realized the reason, but I feel like I did learn a few lessons that I am going to apply to ministry, family, work, and all of my relationships.  I am no business guru, but it didn't take much for me to recognize the problems experienced today were definately on a business level.  So I jotted a few notes that I will share with you and hopefully you too will glean something from our "experience."

*If you're the boss, be the boss!  Communicate to your members expectations, outcomes, directions, etc...  Make sure your members know what is going on.
*If you're not the boss, don't be the boss!  Don't make decisions or give false information that you aren't authorized to give.
(Let me apologize in advance if there are a plethora of !!!!!  I'm a little worked up)
*I really can walk/run barefoot on a dirty floor no matter what my mind is saying about the germs I am picking up.
*Cooper will be fully prepared to handle any travel arrangement necessities when needed.
*Companies lose/gain business by their service, not their product.  I can (and will) find a better product with better service when needed.
(ok, I'm trying not to preach here and let you apply these tidbits for yourself.  So hard....)
*Attitude is reflective of leadership.  It was obvious that someone at the top of Ame_ican Air_ines is very grouchy and in-flexible.  This is apparent through every employee that we encounted at every stop - ticket agents, boarding agents, flight attendents....   right down to our very own luggage handlers here in Lubbock.  (I'm sorry, I was trying to keep it general, but.....)  This also works the other way - Cooper and I realized we weren't going to make the flight.  We had a moment, but pulled ourselves together and chose the attitude of "We can do this.  Let's go."  Which brings me to my next one.
*There is always a savior to come to your rescue.  Mine happened to come in the form of my husband today who abandoned the team and stayed with us. (Again -your personal application :))
*Boy scouts have bug bites and long hair.
*Bigger isn't always better - I'll take FLL over MIA anyday.
*Don't assume it's always the customers (others) fault when something goes wrong.  Sometimes it's faulty routines or regulations.  I realize that some of those can't be changed, but I'll bet they can be adjusted if you give a little effort.  It's called compromise.
*And lastly - just be nice.  You never know what kind of a day someone is having.  Sometimes they just need a break.

I trust I can treat my family, my students, my co-workers and clients, and all other relationships with the respect and sensitivity that I needed today. 
Let me know what you think.

Tori

Nothing to say...

Well, I'm trying to think of something to say on this silly blog, but nothing will flow.  I started a couple of ideas and erased them all because I can't get into their story.  So this will seriously be random. You know what I like to with my blog?  I like to look at the stats and see how many views I've had and from where.  Like today, someone in Alaska read my blog.  I don't know anyone in Alaska.  There are several in European countries.  I only know a few people there.  I just think it's funny that people have time and interest to read about someone they don't even know - I guess I better always be nice then.  I wouldn't want to give anyone the idea that I'm a meanie!  

Next random note....  So at our new house, we have no front lawn, but rather a basketball court.  So we are trying to add some color and items that will add some warmth to the house.  We found this great bench and a cute little bistro set to start with.  The cushions came with it, but may have to be upgraded to something more colorful.  The plan is to put some colorful plants on each side of the bench and at the small inset.  So we are working on it.  

Another random note....  So tomorrow is our 23rd Anniversary!  And today we purchased our first ever complete bedroom suite.  I know - what have we done until now?!  We really do have very nice antique bedroom furniture from Rick's grandmother, but it is time for us to have our own.  It's being delivered next week, so I'll post a pic when we have it set up.  Now to find the bedding.  Can't seem to find what I want.  Probably because I don't know what I want.

So here I go - I am so tempted to erase all this.  This is seriously more information than you even care to know, and yet you still read, so I still write.

Until the next post,

Tori

Fun Friday

Just a fun little note for Friday!

Friday, Friday, at the end of the week

into the weekend I want to peek.

Unpacking and organizing stand in my way

of finding a pool and catching a sun ray.

Searching and finding those items thought lost

A box full of stuff that long ago should've been tossed.

Laughing while working with our family of four

What could be better? Could I ask for more?

Smiles and smells make it feel like our place

And God's peace rests on every face.

Enjoy your weekend!

Tori

P.S.  another line from Start, by Jon Acuff - "The second you choose to be more awesome, fear will ask you a question:  "Who are you to do that?"  

May PAD Day 16

Day 16 is what I am reading.  Rick brought this book home from the Catalyst Conference in Dallas a couple of weeks ago and I grabbed it.  The first few chapters are just what I needed to read.  Up until now, I have always seen situations, challenges, and opportunities as, "Oh, great!  I have a long time to figure this out.  Let's start now and see how it goes."  Lately, I've been seeing situations, challenges, and opportunities as, "Oh, great....  I'm too old to start this.  I've had my chance, now it's time for the young ones to move up."  And I'm not even old!!!!  (I keep telling myself that!)  Even aspirations that I have had for a long time seem to be fading because of my focus on doing what is average.  This book told me that it isn't too late to start to live your dream.  There are so many one-liners and nuggets of greatness in these pages, that I don't want to spoil it for you.  But I will share just one that I found at the very beginning of the book that brought this thinking process to my awareness and set my determination to change my stinkin' thinkin'.  "Age is no longer the primary factor that determines where you are on the map.  Life is now less about how old you are and more about when you decide to live."
Tori

May PAD 8-11

So I will be posting days 8-11 on this blog.  Day 8 was a smell you adore.  I can't really say that this is a smell that I ADORE, but growing up in Amarillo, it was a smell that was constantly in the air.  Whenever I would complain, my dad and brother would always say, "Smells like money."  If they loved it, then I loved it.  And as my brother pointed out, it has made him a pretty good living.  Now I wouldn't say it was always "pretty" but something in him just loves the rush of cattle.  I tell Cooper the same phrase when she comments on the smell here in Lubbock.  She just doesn't get it or appreciate it. What to do with her?!

 

Day 9 was something you do everyday.  I love these 2 apps that never let me get too busy to do these most important tasks everyday.  7:14 Prayer sends a reminder at 7:14 am and 7:14 pm everyday.  You don't know how many times this reminder has popped up right at the moment that I know my kids are playing a sport at that time, or taking a test that day, or Rick has a meeting, or we are on the road driving.... something that I know I can pray for specifically.  It is a cool app.  You can set your own prayer list and it will send urgent prayer request for missionaries or other events going on all around the world.  The bible app that keeps me on track and how that verse for the day always know what I need?!

Day 10 was your favorite word - I don't know.  Is it a word I like to say, because of the way it feels and sounds like Trimalchio? (That's the name of a character in all of the Latin stories we read in high school).  Is it a word that I like to write because it has alot of fun loops and curls like yellow?  Is it a word that means something to me when I hear it like peace.  I guess all of the above would have to roll up into one word - Jesus - as my favorite word.

Day 11 is kitchen.  Well my kitchen is bare.  Here is a pic of my empty cabinets with only paper plates remaining, my favorite appliance (love me some coffee), and a plate that I made with Cooper and some friends at Clay Cafe for our new kitchen.  Cooper said that you can sure tell it didn't come from a store.  How rude!  I know it's not pretty, but it was fun making it.  So someone please come eat coffee and cookies at my new house so I can use my new plate.  Speaking of....  I need to get busy packing, so I'm off.  Tori

May 7 PAD - Someone Who Inspires You

Day 7 - Someone Who Inspires You - That's easy!  I could never find enough pictures for all of the families who have inspired me with their service as both foreign and home missionaries.  This picture just represents a few ladies who are particularly special to me.  Mindy, Audra, Angela, Laurie, and Vanessa, (and many more....) through physical illnesses, national uprisings, catastrophic weather events, KIDNAPPING, and much more, have persevered physically, maintained mentally, and soared spiritually.  They are true inspiration to me.  A reminder that although I am not joining them on their mission field, I never forget them or cease to pray for them.  I ADMIRE their tenacity and determination to "make it work" for their marriage, for their kids, for the families and friends that wait here, and for their ministry.  So here is a huge shout out to all of these ladies!  Send this on to your missionary friends and families.  Let them all know how they inspire you.
Tori

May PAD 5-6

Ok - I missed the bird yesterday.  Today's assignment was "you."  So here is me on my drive from Shallowater to work.  The sun was so beautiful this morning.  I guess this look is my "how am I supposed to leave town for 3 days and leave Rick to get Cooper to her choir concert, Samuel to his Ag banquet, attend the Awaken Graduation Celebration all on Tuesday night?"  And that is just the first day.  Oh and there is that little thing about finishing up the house before we move next week.  He really is a super-human sometimes.  Well, not much time to blog tonight but I will try to stay up to date with the pictures while I am away.  Oh, I have been informed that this "May Photo A Day" thing is only for teenage girls.  Sorry, but it has been a booster to my blog :).

May PAD 3 and 4

So I spend day 3 packing some of the house and did not have a chance to take a picture or post a blog.  You wouldn't want to see what I was wearing anyway:).  So day 4 is something fun.  Well, Rick, Cooper, and I spent today shopping for the new house.  It looks like we will be tackling Cooper's room first and it was so much FUN shopping for her.  She has decided on the black damask theme with turquois walls and accent colors of yellows and blues. New black comforter and we are on the hunt for colorful throw pillows. (so the pic doesn't do real justice to the vision).  It is going to be so cute.  If you have seen her room in facebook pics from a few years ago, you know that she designed the entire room herself.  She is an awesome designer!  So this is where Rick had his genius idea today.  She wanted damask wallpaper on one wall.  Now, Rick and I have painted MANY rooms, but never really worked with wallpaper before.  So we found some curtains with the same pattern and he proposed to use the curtains on that wall to add deminsion and then put a decal in between the panels.  See? Genius!  Cheaper and easier!!!

 Final pics to come!

Now please don't think we have forgotten about Samuel.  He doesn't want anything different for his room.  I think he is bargaining for the game room instead!

I'll keep you updated.

Tori



May PAD - Skyline

Day 2 of Photo A Day is a Skyline.  Well, this is one of the most beautiful skylines that I have ever seen.  From this little hill in the village, you can see the houses and the beautiful ocean and mountains in the background.  This is taken at one of the villages that we work with when we visit the Mission of Hope in Haiti.  The top picture is from the summer of 2011.  As you can see, there was no foliage.  We spent time chopping weeds and thorny bushes with machetes and shovels.  It was very hard work. But as you can tell in just one year, how much growth had taken place.  The bottom picture is from one year later.  It was so amazing to see!  They were all growing their own fruits and vegetables - even ones that they didn't know what were.  There were happy to experiment with them.  This village was established for those who were displaced after the earthquake.  The have completed houses, a church, and a water source for this village.  This village ministers specifically to the deaf population in this community.   I can't wait to see what God has done in the past year.  Heading there June 15!!!   For more amazing stories you can visit mohhaiti.org.

May Photo A Day

So I am going to try a photo a day for May.  Todays assignment is Peace - well you can't get much more peaceful than this!  So I thought I would jot a few notes about what brings me peace.
P - Play, I love to play.  I love to watch my kids play.  The laughter and memories brought about by play, help me through the down time.
E - Experience, Whether good or bad, just knowing that I have been through something before and I am still here to tell about it, brings me peace.
A - Attitude, My attitude can definitely determine if I am going to embrace peace about a situation or give into fear and doubt.  This has to be my conscious decision.
C - Coffee, seriously.  I know it sounds hokey, but coffee really will settle my mind when it's racing.  I love me some good coffee!!!
E - another E?  hmmm......  Eyes, My eyes closing every night at a decent time keeps me peaceful.  Alot of people make fun of us because we go to bed so early.  It was just a practice we got into when our kids were little and we have carried it on.  Sleep is very good for the body and the mind and I NEED MINE!
I hope you can find some peace today.  Be on the lookout for a trigger for your peace and let me know about it!
Tori

Preparation for Haiti

October since my last post?  That's terrible. Well, I'm here today, so here's what's on my mind.  This past weekend we had our preparation and team building weekend for everyone going on a mission trip this summer.  We had an awesome training on prayer and as usual, I asked God for a personal prayer focus for our trip.  My first thought was for families in Haiti to be restored - marriages restored - abandoned children to be restored to their parents - and just for the family unit to become a strong witness in Haiti.  My second focus is for our group specifically.  It seems that for the past few years, most of our team has been comprised of family groups - mothers/daughters, husband/wife, entire family, etc..  This year we have gmothers/gdaughters, dad/daughter, mothers/daughters, dad/son, whole families, etc...  My prayer is that these relationships will grow in trust, in appreciation, in admiration, and in a true love for one another.  I have had the awesome privilege of witnessing my children work on the mission field with children, with adults, in work projects, in ministering to others....  in a variety of settings and situations that many parents will never be able to witness.  I have grown to appreciate their sustainability in all situations.  I have learned to trust their message when they have heard the voice of God.   I have the highest admiration and expectation for the application of their experiences while in Haiti.  I pray this same relationship grows with our team this year.  We do have a few "single" travelers who will have their own awesome experience as well and I can't wait to see it all take place!
So as we are preparing for our trip, I would ask you to pray for our team - our travel, our safety, our work there, and our families.
More to come....
Tori