1500 To 72!

I finally did it. I narrowed down 1500 pics to 72!!

This is a picture from the place as we flew in. The water looked incredible!
This is lil'jp and I getting our mosquito nets all rigged up. They definitely came in handy!
Church was amazing! The singing (just like Africa) is so hard to explain. Full of abandon and joy! This little guy was cracking me up. Nothing was waking him up.
The little girl on the left is Sarah. She was one that grabbed my heart! Tough to leave her behind.
All the kiddos were so beautiful. So there are a lot of kiddos faces included!
The day in Port au Prince was tough. Apparently less than 5% of the rubble has been cleaned up. It was pretty unbelievable to see the devastation.

This is the catholic church that stood right in the middle of town. You can see it has lots of destruction and you can see the tents attached to the wall that people are sleeping in.


On our way back we went to a the sight of a mass grave. These are the crosses that were up on the hill. It is still surreal to think about what had to happen that day. My heart aches for those who had to bury their friends and family.
Every night the sunsets were amazing. And the contrasts of the days were hard to grasp.
It was fun to see our guys playing with the little ones.
Yes... that is a cactus clothes line. Pretty ingenious. They used cactus for fences.





A local soccer club sent us out with a ton of soccer balls. It was fun to see the kids so excited.

We found out that the Haitian National Amputee Soccer Team was staying where we were for the week.


The amazing waterfall that we got to climb and stand in.
I was taking pics and then realized I was about to miss out on a huge experience. So I handed off my camera and got in! So glad I did.


We drove into this remote village. Such beautiful kiddos and people.






We handed out little sandwiches to the kiddos. This little one grabbed 3... and no one stopped her! :)
Everywhere we went, kiddos were watching.

We got to have a creative morning as we painted this room. It was so much fun. The room is for women who are amputees and are making headbands to raise funds.
Then off to an orphanage.
That night we got to see the most amazing lightning storm ever. We stood there for over an hour just in awe!



Below is Port au Prince at night. You can see on the right the part that is blacked out. That is the center of the earthquake where there is still no electricity.

We painted a church and the kids that came in to help us were so great. They loved being a part of the process.
Then the amazing gift of getting to play soccer against the Amputee Soccer Team. Seriously cool!





This is a tent city. It was extremely organized. But... just tents, rock, and dirt. The resiliency of the people!
Growing little garden next to their homes.
A little girl who lost her leg in the earthquake.The last day we spent the afternoon on the coast. Beautiful.And these are little yellow birds that build these nests. The nests are round and upside down. They fly in underneath.Another tent city.Still so humbled by my time there. Looks like I will get to go back in February. Pray for the people of Haiti. There are still sooo many obstacles ahead!

Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble.
So we will not fear when earthquakes come
and the mountains crumble into the sea.

A Little Zoo Trip

Today... a trip to the zoo with some of the Fournet family! It was a blast to see the zoo again through the eyes of little ones. That's one of the things that I am sad that I miss not being a mom. So I am thankful that I have friends with kids that I get to experience life with them!

Here is my fav pic of Beck & Deshi...

I also got to start my Photography class this week. I am taking it with my Dad. He already knows most of what we will be learning, but is willing to take it with me. I am excited to learn more! Today at the zoo I had fun taking pictures of this lion. And then a little fun in photoshop! If you haven't been to the Dallas Zoo and seen the new lion exhibit. You should go. Be sure and go into the cafe and watch them when they come up to the window. It is awesome and a little freaky!

Let's go Rangers!

Fair Day Fun!

Today was an unbelievably beautiful day for some time at the Texas State Fair! Of course I had a Fletcher's corny dog and my absolute favorite lemonade. And for the record... not all lemonade at the State Fair is equal! I would be happy to share the best location if you want it...The Family Ministry team went together. This is a fun pic of Mel and Sarah Beth as they are feeling the after shocks of the ride :) !

And this pic of KJ makes me laugh!!!

A little visit to the petting zoo was in order.

And then, we headed over to the butterfly exhibit. These little guys were so amazing!Seriously... isn't our Creator creative!

Then to the bird show. This year's show seemed extra cool. Lots of big birds. Isn't this dude cool?!

And that was the day at the Fair!

Haiti #4

One of the most profound things I realized on my trip was the day we visited an orphanage. This orphanage in Haiti was not much different than the one I visited in Mexico or the one in Africa. But this time something dawned on me... Kids don't really care if their clothes are clean.

Kids aren't real picky about what they eat as long as they are fed.All kids like to play and have fun.

But most of all... they want to be held and touched.

They want to be played with.

They want to be loved.And this picture is what taught me the most. You see, when we got to the orphanage this little girl was outside laying on the concrete. I could tell right when we walked in that she was not feeling good. I think she was laying on the concrete in the shade because it was the coolest place for her. But as soon as she could, she got up into Mary's lap. This little girl had a fever, but more than wanting to be comfortable, she wanted to be loved. She was willing to be even hotter by laying on Mary to get to touch and love that she needed.

Someone asked me what I feel when I leave places like that... and my answer... broken hearted! Because each of them needs a mommy and a daddy. They need to know they are safe and protected. They need to know they are loved.

Squeezed and Squeeky... My Last Day!

This morning I had one of the most amazing breakfasts I have ever had. French toast, fresh squeezed orange juice, crispy hash browns, and an omelet with wild mushrooms and blue cheese. Can you say YUM!!!Today was kinda cloudy and misty all day. So I only got to explore outside a little. I headed down to Hug Point and searched in this fun little cave. I also met a guy who works for Portland Park and Rec Services. I think maybe I was suppose to take the hint and talk longer. When you called me Dallas I should have caught on! Ooooopppsss! To you I say... "Sorry! I can be kinda slow!"
Found these guys attached to one of the rocks by the cave.

Then I ventured into Tillamook and went to the cheese factory. It was fun to watch the cutting of the big blocks of cheese. And I learned that if the block of cheese weighs less than it is suppose to, they slap on a little extra onto the top to make it the right weight. So if you get Tillamook cheese and see a little slice cut off, that's why!

They also let you test the cheese. This sign made me chuckle.

And when I tested the cheese it really was squeeky!!!

I also of course had some more Tillamook ice cream. It is YUMMY!

I went into town and picked up some AMAZING seafood chowder. I brought it home and ate it out by the ocean and fed all the bunnies and some seagulls. Fun last day.

I have started packing and can say I am sad it is all over! But it has been an amazing week, very thankful for the opportunity to come here!

A Little Adventure... Puking Included!

So today had some excitement! I decided to head to Pacific City to explore. When I arrived I remembered my friend Tara telling me to climb the sand dune. So I did... this big one. If you look close you can see the people and see how tall it is. I started up, with confidence! Now, I stopped quite a few times to breathe. The sand was also really hot and I was going up with no shoes on. So... my little toes were also getting burned :( ! I finally made it to the top and I did not feel so well... BUT the view was BEAUTIFUL!!! I sat for a while to hopefully feel better. I got a little better and decided I should head down. That's when it hit... I puked! Such a bummer to throw up right there on the side of the sand dune. But, I just covered it up and kept walking!

I had a great fish lunch right on the coast. And then decided to head back up the little sand dune and check it out. I maybe, might have, crossed a little sign that says... don't. But I had 2 different people tell me that people do it all the time. This is what I found when I got up there... seriously awesome. I feel like these pics make it look small. But if you look closely again you can see the person on top of the 2nd rock from the left. (note: if you click on the pictures they should get bigger on your screen.)

Took a little self portrait. I was pretty adventurous, climbed across a lot of rocks and stuff. I will tell you that I have some mad respect for the ocean. The waves were massive and truly gave me pause to think of being swept away by one.

Just another cool view...

Check out those waves hitting on those cliffs...

Again... I wish I could explain how MASSIVE this wave is. It is HUGE!!!

And this one...

And another one...

I just don't know what else to say, besides... CRAZY AMAZING!

See the bird below?? What was crazy was seeing these massive waves and these little birds riding them and so not phased.

Just thought this was a cool shot.

Just another shot... the sand dune on the right... made me puke!

The small one on the left... so fun and a great adventure.

Cool bird I saw on my way out.

I stopped off at a cheese factory and saw this dude...

And I couldn't miss a sunset!

All in all... a pretty fun day!!!