Today was the second day of working in the clinic, this time in an outdoor revival structure - and Ashleigh and I are getting better at this medical thing every day! For starters, the clinic was an answer to prayers, because Ash and I have been praying about whether God wanted us to work medical missions or had other plans, so we have been able to experience the medical aspect. We both love it! We are able to communicate with the women (if you call moving eyebrows and gesturing desperately communicating) and hold their babies (most women have 2-5 children when they come to the clinic, and no one ever seems to hold their own baby. We were always given babies to hold and never knew who the mothers were, so we just continued to pass them along. It is a wonderful part of the trusting and close community).
The children were adorable, which only strengthened the resolve of Ashleigh and I to adopt children from third world countries. They were sooo precious! Mike, our 21-year-old Haitian translator who is a blast to be around, taught us some fun phrases to say to the kids:
"Kore m" - pound it (yes, the fist pound is popular everywhere haha)
"ou belle" - you're beautiful/cute/handsome, ect
"Mwen pa pale kreyol" - I do not speak Creole
INTERESTING/FUNNY FACTS about Haiti:
* The languages spoken are French and Creole
*Creole is an auditory language - the people could not read or write so it is simply how they heard french. Thus, most words are written as they sound.
*There are no traffic laws, so the roadways can get hectic. However, most people are considerate and there are few accidents (so far that we have heard of).
*HILARIOUS: Randal was working construction, and a woman came by, handed him a baby, told him to "keep, have", and left. He held the baby for about 20 minutes before a boy came back to get the baby GIRL...saying it was his nephew! I wouldn't be surprised if half the babies in the country are raised by the wrong parents, but they are some of the most loved babies I have ever seen.
Yesterday we finally got to get out in the field and work with the people, but not in construction like we expected - we were in a clinic! It was a crude but very effective set up; we were in an empty, open concrete building, with two doctors, a missionary intern filling the prescriptions, and a translator, all helping Ashleigh and I find our niche in the fun.
Before I start getting technical, let me hit where it really matters. The first thing we noticed about the people was their priorities. Many of those in the clinic would go claim a spot as early as 4 AM, and we didn't arrive to set up until 8. They would sit there quietly all day waiting to be seen, though many would not even have a chance to see a doctor, so they will be first Monday. Everyone was packed together, which in America would undoubtedly cause problems, but no one seemed to mind or even notice. the children were held by their parents and, aside from the few distended babies, the children were all well behaved. Women who needed to nurse their babies did so without shame or hesitation, as is similar in most countries other than America. All of these people simply wanted to be treated for their pains and medical issues, and would wait 12 hours if needed without complaint - yet it is difficult for Americans (including myself) to wait for even 12 minutes.
Our society is fast-paced and impatient, with fast food and fast cars and fast service. Yet somehow too many people continue to feel like they are missing something - not getting enough. If we slowed down and took time to find what was important rather than stuffing unnecessary fillers into our lives, we might find that we can finally feel fulfilled. Looking at these people who have nothing, I have seen that they have everything because they rely on God for every bit of what they have. If we did the same, we would always have enough.
The long awaited mission trip for which we have all been preparing for months is finally a reality - and I can honestly say I was not prepared at all. Approaching the earthquake-ravaged island from the air-conditioned plane, Haiti could be mistaken for a beautiful destination getaway...at first glimpse from the air, that is.
Tents are set up everywhere to provide shelter for Haitians.
Before we even began our descent, masses of white and blue objects were visible, soon to take the form of ragged tents and crude shelters now called home for many of the Haitians. This is what we had seen on TV, what we had been assigned to help construct - what we had never truly understood the conditions of.
Let me begin at the beginning. Ashleigh came to the house a little after 8:00 last night, and we were ordered to bed; of course, we couldn't really fall asleep until hours later. After what seemed only 5 minutes of sleep, we were loading up the car and headed to meet the group at 3:30 am (and like all teenagers, we are bouncy morning people, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed in a heartbeat), ready for our early flight out of ATL. We received our Haiti Team shirts to wear, and in our layover in Miami we were able to meet other teams and speak to the members, all of whom were involved in great projects. The beach was lovely, and it seemed a vacation. Until we saw Haiti.
Tents are squeezed in any available space
THE FIRST THING TO CATCH OUR ATTENTION was the tents. No homes were to be seen - only shattered walls lying in ruin on crumbling foundations. Instead, torn tarps and crude shelters made of sticks, newspapers, and old wood or tin lined the streets and filled every inch of space a person could find amongst the ruin. Children played in the streets and cars bounced across the pitted road made worse by a recent rainstorm. No amount of words could ever describe the scene we saw with the poverty these people live in. (A picture is worth a thousand words, and in this case even a picture does no justice).
Garbage lines the roads
WHAT TRULY BROKE MY HEART was the children. A young boy, only six or seven, came up fearlessly to our moving van and stuck his hand through the window, emboldened by his thirst and starvation, begging us for no more than a sip of our "aqua". We had to shut the windows, a difficult action for all of us, so that he would go get water from the well rather than try to get what little clean water we had. They can drink the well water - we would only get sick. However, this reasoning didn't soften the hurt for us. Being pampered daily has made life much easier for us, and too often we take that for granted!
HOWEVER, we have met some wonderful people and seen beautiful scenery - the beaches and the mountains make the landscape ever changing and keep things interesting. There are many different animals that are similar to our cattle and goats, but with a unique twist; I'm just hoping to catch one on camera! Meanwhile, we are going to push some pills, so I will leave it at that! Feel free to ask any questions. :)
Well, it has been forever since anyone has written. But that's just because we all live very busy life's. Being junior's and senior's in high school is a lot of work and takes up a lot of time. And i know for at least Hilary and I we are always busy with homework, church, or other activities.
So i'm taking a little break from my study of Ecclesiastes and going to write about a lesson my youth pastor gave in youth group last week. Since all i have to go off of it the notes i took i can't promise it will be a great post. But i think the notes i took are pretty powerful on their own so maybe i won't have to add much to them.
Devotion To God
The lesson opened with Titus 2:11-13 (check it out yourself )which says "11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ."
What does it mean to be devoted to God?
Well to know what it means to serve God we must know why we should serve God.
We Were Created To Love God. By loving Him we are serving Him because the love we have for Him drives us to obey Him and do the things He wants us to do. Psalms 139:13-14 says "13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." check it out for yourself Just look at what God has done for us, He has made us fearfully and wonderfully. God created us with His own hands. That should be reason enough for us to love Him. God calls us to love Him in Deuteronomy 6:5 "5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." check it out for yourself By loving God we show our devotion to Him.
We Were Created To Serve God. Serving God is obeying Him and doing what He calls us to do to further His kingdom. We are to be disciples for Christ. Sharing God's love wherever we go. It should be evident in our lives that we are Christian. We should act in a way that people wonder why we're different. Worshiping God is also a way we can serve God, He calls us to do it. " 8Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only'"" Luke 4:8. Serving God is a way we show Him and other that we are devoted to Him.
Actions to consider...
Desire God Beyond All Things
"Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you." Psalms 73:25
Sacrifice Everything For God
Fail & Receive God's Grace and Instruction
"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." John 1:8-9
"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16
Persist Even When It's Painful
"That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:10
Obey What I Already Know To Be True
"for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Philipians 2:13
My youth pastor used a video he found on youtube to describe, in human form, what devotion looks likes. Here's the video. It's a hilarious, video but just look at the devotion this girl has toward this popular singer.youtube video
The comment Jimmy made about how Cody's life wouldn't get any better than it was at the moment she was with Justin should be like our devotion to Christ. We should have any better time in life than the times when we are devoted to God. It should bring us joy to be serving our God and Creator.
So what are you going to be devoted?
As always, if you have any questions or comments i would absolutely love to hear from you!! Email Me
God Bless,
Rachel
In verses one through eight, Solomon goes on about how there is a time for everything. Each activity or emotion has a time in our life. Sometimes we might want to do something but we know it isn’t the right time for that, we need to do something else. Sometimes we just want to lay around and cry about something, but you can’t wallow in sadness. Eventually you have to get up and push away that sadness and embrace the days ahead of you with a positive attitude. God will help you in this. If you are in a pit of despair, cry out to God for help, comfort, and strength and He will come to you. God is waiting for all His children to cry out for His help. If you need Him…go to Him.
Solomon is starting to see God in life in these passages. He gives God credit for the beauty of this world. He states that the gift of God is “that everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toils.” God endures forever; nothing can be added to or taken away from this world or from God. Men revere God because of this. Revere is described as “to regard with respect tinged with awe; venerate.”
Everyday is the same; yesterday, today, and tomorrow are all the same. There is wickedness everywhere. There always has been, there always will be. God will judge us for this wickedness. God will judge both the wicked and the righteous.
There is a time for everything. All things must come to and end. Everything dies, it goes back to the dust of which it came from. Solomon decided at the end of these verses that there is nothing better for man to do that to enjoy his work. (He’s kinda two faced on this issue isn’t he?)
Solomon noticed all the bad and evil that was happening to the people of the world, and he saw that they had no comforter. He said that those who were dead were better off than those living. He also said that those who had not been born yet were even better off than the dead because they hadn’t even seen the light of day.
Solomon saw that all the work and accomplishments of those around him were a result of envy. This, he said, is meaningless. It is better to be tranquil than to toil in meaningless ways.
Working all alone without companionship is meaningless. Without people around you loose the enjoyment of life, you deprive yourself. You also become very consumed in yourself and in your wealth.
(These next few verses, 9-12, are some of my all time favorite verses!!)
Two people, together, are better than someone who is alone. They help each other and profit from each other, but they don’t take advantage of each other. If one person falls down, whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually, his friend can help him up. But a man who has no friends won’t have help when he falls. If two are in need of warmth, they can draw close to each other and the will keep warm. If one needs comforting, his friend can draw close and comfort him. But one who doesn’t have a friend has no one to help keep him warm or to comfort him. When one person is put in some kind of hardship without the support of a friend, he will easily fall. But when a person goes through a hardship with a friend by his side, he can stand strong. The encouragement of a friend is powerful. When you put three friends together you are even stronger to face whatever comes your way. I recently was inspired about the meaning of the verse where is says, “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” This can refer to three different situations, I think. The first one is the most obvious. Three friends together are strong, and their friendship is secure. I realized a while back the this verse could also refer to two close/ best friends who have God actively in their lives and in their friendship. This reminds me of a song by Michael W. Smith called “Friends.” Some of the lyrics are “And friends are friends forever, if the Lord's the Lord of them…In the Father's hands we know, that a lifetime's not too long to live as friends.” Sometimes this is hard to do because you want to talk about boys/girls, school, sports, or music. But the strongest friendship is one where you not only talk about those things, but you talk about God. What He’s done in your life, what He’s doing in your life, you pray together, study the word together, and you encourage each other with scripture. This is the kind of friendship that is strong and will last. The third meaning of this verse applies to marriage. My best friend recently told me about this meaning behind the verse. This meaning is much like the last meaning except that it has to do with a married man and woman rather than friends. All the principles are pretty much the same. But they are on a more intimate level. This is the longest I’ve ever gone on about a certain set of verses. But after God, friends are the biggest thing in my life. I treasure my friends and I try very hard at the relationships I have. I’m sure many of you can relate.
The last bit of Ecclesiastes four talk about how it is better to be young and wise, then to be old and foolish. I think that’s pretty self explanatory.
I really hope what I have said in this post helps and encourages you! I pray that this will in some way affect you. If you have any questions about what I have said, feel free to email me. christianyouthsspeakout@yahoo.com I would love to hear from you!
Today was the second day of working in the clinic, this time in an outdoor revival structure - and Ashleigh and I are getting better at this medical thing every day! For starters, the clinic was an answer to prayers, because Ash and I have been praying about whether God wanted us to work medical missions or had other plans, so we have been able to experience the medical aspect. We both love it! We are able to communicate with the women (if you call moving eyebrows and gesturing desperately communicating) and hold their babies (most women have 2-5 children when they come to the clinic, and no one ever seems to hold their own baby. We were always given babies to hold and never knew who the mothers were, so we just continued to pass them along. It is a wonderful part of the trusting and close community). 
