I Need Words

Mislene, one of the kids I help with homework in the afternoon.

Kervenson! It was a treat to walk him home from school.

Magdala and Kervenson. The only person she wanted helping her was Kervenson. She allowed me to help by getting her more water. That girl knows how to wash some clothes.

On some Friday nights, I make popcorn for the children at the orphanage for movie night. Making popcorn was never so much fun. 

My eighth grade physical science taking a test. The rare moment when they're all quiet and still. ;)

Magdala, JJ, and Herode, who I help with homework in the afternoon. I found the best way to motivate them to do their homework for me was to bribe them with juice or sweet tea. :) And they really like drinking it with a spoon  for some reason. :)

Well, I finally siked myself up enough to write a new blog post! Ha. Ha. Only two months late. I wouldn't say it'll be worth the wait, but I'm not really much of a writer and I've found I'm really not much of a blogger either. Haha. So here's my best attempt at recapping the last two months of my life in Haiti and my return home after 5 months there. 
So, I pride myself sometimes on being pretty open and blunt. Honestly, the last two months have been a roller coaster for me. Which leads me to the title of this post. It comes from a song by the David  Crowder Band called, "I Need Words". The lyrics go like this:

"I need words as wide as sky.

I need language large as this longing inside.

I need a voice bigger than mine.

I need a song to sing to you that I've yet to find. 

And I need you and I need you to be here now. To hear me now."

I found myself relating to this song in a big way the last few weeks before I went home for a 2 week break. It was quite literally the prayer I needed. Homesickness, along with every emotion known to man had slowly crept in on me at some point. Fear, anger, loneliness, sadness, bitterness, you name it, I felt it at one point. I never imagined when I left the United States in June that life would hit me so hard here. And honestly, I cannot exactly place my finger on what exactly it is that has me feeling this way when I am getting to minister and serve in exactly the place I have wanted to for the last year. But I've been reminded that God's grace abounds in deepest waters. (Excuse me for stealing that line from "Oceans"). 

On Saturdays, the soccer club has training at a nearby athletic field. I went with them one day and watched. I still know basically nothing about soccer. :)

Amongst the bad days that made me cry and just wish to come home, I would be reminded again of why I was brought to Haiti and given doses of love and happiness from the people around me. Whether it was a note telling me goodbye before I left, messages from students on days when I was sick, acts of kindness from my fellow family of missionaries or smiles and love from the little children I tutor and work with everyday, God's grace finds me...everywhere!

I returned to Haiti about a week ago and have easily returned to my life here. Teaching, helping with homework, loving on precious kids. :) Things here are always pretty busy, which can be helpful.  I thank God that I was able to return and that I am also blessed to have a home in the United States to return to, if that is His will. My visit back home to the states was short, but wonderful! I was reminded that God has blessed me with two great places to be. An American home and a Haiti home. I've found that if I'm at one home, I will always miss the other. But how blessed am I to have two places so worth missing. It's been so long since I blogged, I know I'm leaving out stuff like a trip to the store on a tap tap that quickly turned into having to turn back because of a protest and tear gas, being in the back of our blue and white truck and quickly having to exit because of being squished against a wall by a dump truck, But that's just life in Haiti. No biggie, stuff like that happens all the time, right? :) I do want to mention that apparently I broke one of the toes on my right foot,...I found out a week later. However, after visiting an orphanage for children with special needs and seeing the kids there and the struggles they have to deal with....my toe that I could still walk on was not that big of a deal. God is just consistently using every day life to remind me how blessed I am. I could never ever say it enough.
So anyways, please pray for myself, Christian Light School, and all of the people associated with this ministry. At the end of the day, we can do nothing without the grace, love, and guidance of our Heavenly Father. 

Ashleigh

They love their "juice".

The many faces of Herode while playing the air guitar. :)

The sweet 5th and 6th grade classes at Ashford Academy I was privileged to share with while home.