Plane Ride

So I think it may be a problem that I actually enjoyed the 26 hour flight to Cambodia this time!  It was relaxing.  No work to do, no phone to answer, no decisions to make except for which book should I read, which movie should I watch, or should I just chill out and sleep! I realized how much I like doing nothing and having no agenda- much different than life back home.  Just plain, nothing unexpected.

I am super excited to be going back to Cambodia.  It has been a little over 2 years since I have been there, and much has changed.  I wish my lovely bride was with me, but she volunteered to stay home for this one.  Thanks to her and my family for giving me the opportunity to come and serve God!

I finished a book called “Erasing Hell” on the plane.  I was struck by a passage about the fruit of the Spirit- notice FRUIT not FRUITS.  Most of us have heard or even memorized this verse from the book of Galatians in the Bible.  We think about which fruits we have and are good at and which ones we struggle with.  The point was that they all go together.  We don’t just have a few of them.  If we are living in the Spirit, then God produces all the FRUIT through us.  Only when we allow Jesus to do the work in us can we have fruit.  It’s a combo package all together.  Nathan Cecil who is with me on the trip made the comment- Wouldn’t it be awesome if we can Erase Hell for the Cambodians we know and love that CGI is working with right now?  Pray that we will allow God to do the work and produce fruit through us this next week!

In Him,

Jeremy

Haitian Dance Party

Tonight we went to evening service at Jeanty.  This is the third time I have been there to worship, and I have heard the veterans talk about how rockin it is there.  Up until tonight I had not seen what I thought was “rockin”, but man did they worship with all their hearts this time!  Each song would start slow and soft and gradually start to build until the whole place was dancing with arms raised and shouting praises!  It was awesome!  After the service was over, a young Haitian man came up to me and said, “You dance like a Haitian”!  That is the best compliment I could ever receive.  They have a great drum section that just pounds it with tambourines and a washboard type instrument.  Then a pastor on the trip from North Carolina just nailed the sermon.  It was a great night!
Today was the last real day of clinics.  We only see follow ups tomorrow and any really sick kids.  I saw premature twins today that were less than 4 pounds each!  Both were doing remarkably well and eating fine-amazing considering the resources they have.  Mom delivered on the bus on her way to the hospital!  Babies number 6 and 7.  Things have progressed a lot here over the last 10 years.  The babies are much healthier because the mothers are learning how to feed and take better care of them.  Our favorite patient of the day was a 7 year old girl.  When we asked how we could pray for her, she replied “I want all the people in Haiti to learn to read and write”!  What a great heart at such an early age.  
Tomorrow we get to dedicate the house that Clown Pediatrics donated.  Alyssa and I wrote in the Bible that we will give to them tonight.  The office sent a video that I will show our family.  Please pray that this will be a wonderful blessing for these kids and mom!  I am so lucky to be here to take part in the ceremony.
We were challenged tonight to keep our focus on Jesus all the time, to listen to Him and allow him to make our hearts bigger.  All week we have talked about how all people are the same, they want to be cared about, listened to, and loved, no matter their situation.  I hope we can all take the time to notice people around us and look for opportunities to serve and love others.  I’m telling you, WE can change the WORLD!!!!!
In Him,
Jeremy

Happy Birthday...Again!

 So for the second year in a row, Alyssa gets to spend her birthday in Haiti!  Maybe not how some kids would want to turn 14, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.  She got to spend the day in clinic with me being my nurse!  She got to write down all the problems, exam, and orders for the pharmacy that I dictated to her.  She did a great job catching on- and her handwriting is much better than mine!  We took turns between her, a nurse named Amanda, and I praying for the patients.  She really gets it.  I mean she truly understands what people need and why we are here and how to pray for them.  The whole trip is worth hearing Alyssa pray over these patients pouring her heart out to God for them.  Thank goodness her mom is always on it!  I didn’t even think to get her a present because I thought the trip was present enough even though she paid for a portion of it herself.  But mom came through with a perfect little gift left in my bag for Alyssa.  We sang happy birthday at breakfast and at devotion tonight.  I snagged a leftover piece of fruit pizza from the fridge as her cake!  They say 2 times is a pattern and 3 is a tradition, so I told Alyssa she can come back every year from now on to make it a birthday tradition.  What a great kid her mom has raised!

So the highlight of the day was our third to last patient.  I think I saw about 40 kids plus a few adults today which is a really good day at home.  Considering the time for translation and praying, it was pretty hoppin.  I was beat when we finished.  We didn’t save anyone’s life today, but God worked in a number of situations that we prayed through.  Lots of dads not around, moms who have left or can’t take care of their babies, lots of newborns that are healthy and doing great but the mom just wants them checked out to be sure!  But our third to last one got me.  It was 4:15pm.  I asked when she got to clinic this morning.  She said 5am with a smile on her face like no big deal!  Her 1 year old had an ear infection which we can treat pretty easily.  Cute kid.  Christian mom.  We ask every patient what we can pray about, so this mom says, “I want to pray for you doctor, and your family”!  What??? That is crazy!  Live in a tent, don’t know where your next meal will come from, have to care for your kid somehow, but you want to pray for the American doctor who is there to serve you?  These are the kind of people you meet down here in Haiti.  And that is why Alyssa and I continue to want to come back!

For Him,

Jeremy

What do I deserve?

So my office sponsors 2 sets of twins in Haiti.  Jaime and Alyssa and I got to meet them last year and see where they lived.  It was such a blessing to be able to give them things that they could never have otherwise!  We saw them a year ago for a total of maybe 2 hours on 2 separate days.  Yesterday, Alyssa and I got the chance to see them again!  They were standing together with both sets of twins eagerly waiting on us!  You should have seen their faces light up when they saw us walk in!  It felt almost as good as when I come home from a trip and my family sees me for the first time.  Last year the kids cried most of the time but finally let us pick them up.  They are much bigger this year!  No crying, but they still wouldn’t open up and play with us much.  The boys like cars, and the girls like baby dolls, and they all like soccer and kicking balls-sounds like our own kids right! 

So we decided to build a house for the needier family.  Single mom whose husband was killed in the earthquake with 6 kids including the twins which are the youngest.  They are living in a tent with sticks for walls with sacks and cardboard supporting it.  I asked this mom what we could pray about for her and what she said floored me.  She said, “What you see with me is what I deserve”.  Meaning God has given her everything she needs and she doesn’t need anything more!  I thought to myself this is crazy, here is a woman raising 6 kids by herself with no money and no job to provide for them all, living in a tent, saying she is content with what God has given her!  I know I don’t deserve all the blessings God has given me which makes me all the more thankful for them.  Talk about a woman who definitely deserves a home!  What an experience.  It makes me want to give more and more of what I have away!  Thank you so much Clown Peds for helping change the lives of these 2 families!  I will post pictures when I get back.  It isn’t a mansion by any means, no bathroom or kitchen, just 2 rooms with a solid roof and earthquake proof construction that is safe and THEIRS!

I am humbled and blessed to be a part of Lifeline here in Haiti.

Be in prayer for clinics which will start on Monday!

In Him,

Jeremy

PS. Audio Adrenaline was on our flight here.  They are making a documentary about their orphanage called “Hands and Feet” based off their song!  Check it out online.

Medical Team in Haiti

Every time I leave home for a mission trip I ask myself why
I am going.  There are lots of different
answers, most important being that God has called me to go.  I often get more out of the trips than I give.  I spend more real quality time with the Lord.  The people we serve lift my spirits and renew my faith.  I love spending time with the other people on the trip as well.  The lasting relationships that you gain from seeing people year after year on the mission field are special.  Then there are the Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Cambodian people that you work with and love on!  That is what makes it all worthwhile!  So sorry office for making you work harder while I’m gone.  Sorry Jaime for leaving
you alone with 4 kids to taxi for 10 days.  Sorry kids for missing 10 days of your life while I’m on “vacation” in 90 degree weather!  And thank you all for allowing me to serve the Lord this next week in Haiti.
 
We made it here safe after an extra hour at the gate with computer problems on the plane which is always what you want to hear when you are getting ready to fly a thousand miles over water! We got to the airport and started going through customs which is usually
uneventful.  We were the last flight of the night and the last bags of the night.  The Haitian customs officials obviously didn’t have anywhere to be tonight because they decided to look through every one of our bags.  They wanted money to let things by.  Something about you have to clear it with the government to bring prescription meds into the country.  That has never been the case in the 25 years this team has been coming!  So after a
few choice works under our breath, we prayed it up knowing that God was with
us.  There were 49 bags to go through, so we did our best to put a 4-5 bags on the table at a time and act like they had already been through a couple of them and were finished.  The head hancho wasn’t about to let it go that easily though.  He kept asking what
the different meds were for.  He asked if he could take some of them, to which we replied sure, thinking it would get us through.  So he wanted an advil bottle
and a prostate medicine!  He obviously didn’t know what it was for, so one of our team asked if he was pregnant because that medicine was for pregnant women(which it isn’t!) and so he put it back down and laughed, took his advil and let us through!
 
Great start to our week!  I’m blessed to have Alyssa here again with me this year, and for her
birthday again!  We also have Terry our kids pastor from church with us.  Tomorrow we get to start building the house for the twins that Clown Peds sponsors.  Can’t wait!
We talked about Phil 3 tonight at devo which we certainly used today- Do not be anxious about anything, but with prayer and supplication, and thanksgiving, bring your requests to the Lord.  I definitely have His Peace that passes all understanding!
In Him,
Jeremy

SPEECHLESS

It's always been said that a picture says a thousand words.  I love pictures and photographs, especially ones that tell a story.  But, I am the world's worst photographer. Somehow, today I felt like I captured a perfect photograph. I can't get the image out of my mind. The picture is of a smile. A smile like one of a child on Christmas morning. 

Today, I had the opportunity to witness the delivery of some bibles, water filters, and uniforms. The money that allowed us to purchase these items was raised by children in the US. They are children who have been given a generous and compassionate heart for the poor. We took the funds that were given to us and asked the CGI staff if they had anyone that they knew who could really use the help. Immediately, one gal mentioned her home village. She was so thrilled that we offered to help them!  When we pulled up to her family's home and saw a large crowd waiting on us, of course my tears were falling. But what touched me even more was when I looked over and saw the tears in her eyes, too! She was filled with this joy and both of us were entirely speechless. I have been trying to think of the right words to describe my afternoon to you and the only thing that kept coming to my mind was this picture. I watched as she handed out uniforms, bibles, and water filters to each family who was present. And when I saw the excitement of this particular girl had when she was handed her bible, I was so humbled. We take so much for granted and it is great to be reminded of that. I hope this paints a picture for you as well and  and that you, too, are inspired to help!

Working for the Lord

I am the firstborn in my family. The oldest of three girls. I had a fabulous childhood and I cherish so many of the fun memories of playing with my sisters. But if you would ask them what I was like, I’m sure they would include the word bossy. I know this. We talk about it now and giggle. But back then, I thought I knew it all. Everything that I did was the correct way, and everyone was to do as I say. I know as a child I didn’t consciously know what I was doing, but now that I am an adult I look back and realize how mean I could be at times. It breaks my heart and I wish I could go back and change the way I treated them. Particularty my middle sister.

 Every time I leave the country, I secretly like having time to just sit on an airplane and think, pray, and listen to God. (Now don’t get me wrong, 27 hrs is probably TOO much time, but I enjoy the first few hours). So yes, I am currently on a plane reflecting on my life and how God wants to change me, AGAIN. 2 years ago was my first trip to Cambodia, and that trip marks a pivotal point in my life. I haven’t been the same since. The things that my eyes saw changed my heart in ways that I could’ve never imagined. I was humbled in so many ways and I knew that I had to change the way that I had been living. Luckily, my husband was with me and we were both on the same page. But since that trip to Cambodia, I see things in a different light. I have a new calling on my life. I returned home and made a drastic change in my priorities. I quickly learned that others weren’t going to understand or even grasp my vision. It made things difficult as I changed my focus more globally. I still sense that others don’t understand and tend to be judgemental. But I have learned that I am to continue to follow God and obey Him. Not man.  That has not been easy for me to do. And I know I started being a people pleaser when I was young.

As I sit here and think of that, one of my sisters comes to my mind. She has never cared one single bit what others think of her. She is confident in herself and she knows who she is.  She knows what she wants and she goes for it. When we were little, she saw right through me and knew that I was trying to be accepted and get approval from people and unfortunately, I was mean to her at times in order to accomplish that.. I have so many regrets for my past behaviors, I am thankful for her forgiving heart. I admire her so much for who she is and I am thankful and proud to have a sister like that. She has taught me so much!

I have gained so much confidence now that my entire heart is  “working for the Lord”. So, regardless of what people think, I am on my way to Cambodia. I haven’t been here in over a year. I am thrilled to see my friends and the smiles on the faces of all the women and children that we are impacting. I am even more excited to hear what God has in store next for these people. They have stolen my heart and I am so humbled that God has chosen me as one of his servants in this country. I pray that my actions shine so brightly for Him over the next week and the Cambodians that I come into contact with can see that there is something different about me. I want them to know the same Jesus that I know. I ask you to pray along with me and let God do the work. Thanks for following!

~Jaime

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