I Swallowed a Fly

”There was an old lady who swallowed a fly.

I don’t know why she swallowed a fly.

Perhaps she will die."

These are the beginning lines of one of my favorite songs from my childhood. Mainly I think because of how ridiculous it is. I mean who would possibly swallow all of those other things just because of a fly. Thinking back on this now though, I realize that this childhood song is a great example of cause and effect. I mean, the only reason this old lady swallowed the cow was because of the goat. And the reason for eating the goat was the dog. And before the dog was the cat which followed the bird. And the only reason for swallowing the bird was the fly. The fly was what started if all off (and perhaps the woman being completely insane). But, for the purpose of my overall thoughts of today, the whole thing began with the fly: cause and effect.

Ultimately it all began with my morning. My coffee this morning had peppermint mocha powdered creamer in it. Back in the states I would have HATED powdered creamer. But here it isn’t so bad. And the peppermint was an added bonus. Even though it was oatmeal for breakfast this morning, it was still alright and I managed to eat it all anyway. After breakfast I had a really fantastic quiet time. I mean, one of the absolute best I have had since I have been here.

My great morning in preparation for my day resulted in me going downstairs to begin my time in the Miriam Center in an awesome way. This morning we had Kelly’s group from California come down to help us out in the M.C. We were able to finish feeding breakfast to all of the kids and then split them up into two groups. One group of the higher functioning kids went into the preschool classroom while the other group hung out in the sensory room. During this time we played music, danced, did massaging and prayed over the kids. I loved this time, and even though it was a bit unorganized, since it was the first time we have done this, it was great because each kid was able to receive special one on one time with someone. This resulted in people later playing with more of the severe and profound kids, which has been our goal for a long time!

This fantastic morning resulted in me being all the more motivated going into lunch. Today I fed one of the hardest girls with CP who has to use a syringe. It was messy, but the two of use managed to finish her whole bowl of blended beans and rice. Way to go Niaka! I am so proud of you and I love you so much!

My awesome time spent feeding Niaka was impacted even more, when my spirits where lifted half way through our meal when Autumn came by to talk to me. She mentioned that they were serving beans and rice again upstairs for breakfast and asked me if I would like an EasyMac instead. We had talked before about how you seem to crave things you would never truly desire back home. So yes. Yes I definitely did really really want an EasyMac this afternoon. And let me tell you, this fresh out of the microwave meal was absolutely delicious next to my coke today.

My fantastic lunch caused me to agree to go back downstairs with Autumn to hang out in Heater’s room while she fed Sandley. Both Heather and Stephanie were hanging out in there as well (this is mostly because Heather has a really comfy bed to sit on and her room is air conditioned. Great place to relax in! During this time, the four of us talked about Miriam Center stuff and ate carrots and chocolate covered pretzels which were completely perfect considering the only thing I was worried about in terms of the EasyMac was that I would not be completely full, so this worked out perfect! This was also a great time to hang out with these three amazing women and get to hear their hearts for these children, this ministry and the Lord. Plus, it was great to get to spend time in the air conditioning and it was a great mental and physical break!

This reboost caused me to be completely reenergized and ready to pour out for the rest of my day! After this mini relaxation Autumn and I went over to Outreach. It was so great because Prezido, the Haitian employee Autumn has been training, agreed to take over and teach the first part of today’s session, which allowed Autumn and I to have this time to rest! This afternoon the two of us both took kids out to Outreach to model the last half. I took Niaka! She did great and I loved being able to spend even more time with her. I have really enjoyed this time each day and I love the fact that I am starting to really get to know these kids and their parents. This is also one of my favorite parts of this ministry because it is so sustainable and encourages families to raise their kids, even with special needs in their own homes and within their loving familes!

My great time in Outreach carried over to the rest of my afternoon. Once we had finished cleaning up after therapy, Autumn asked me if I would like to help her love and serve the Haitian workers by giving them each a back massage. Our staff works so incredibly hard and I absolutely loved this idea, so I eagerly agreed without hesitation. The two of us managed to massage each of these amazing women. I think that they really enjoyed this and I hope that we were able to serve them well and thank them well for all their hard work!

As we were waiting for some of the employees to finish a few of their daily duties at the Miriam Center, I was able to spend some time with Carlos. This was great. Carlos is one of the highest functioning kids in our program and can be quite the handful. I think of all our 46 kids, Carlos is the one who gets in trouble the most. I will admit, there have been a few days so far that this kid has slightly annoyed me. However, today I just got to tickle and laugh with him in the bird cage. It was really fun and I even was able to take a video, even though I seriously doubt I will be able to upload it until I get home. But just wait, its hilarious!

I believe that this time throughout the afternoon of thanking our staff is what caused one of the most uplifting parts of my day. It was after we had finished massaging each of the women that I was soon signaled through hang motions (there is definitely a language barrier between myself and the workers since I am still working on learning Creole) into the kitchen. The kitchen staff was working on preparing dinner. It was when I arrived in the kitchen, that since they realized that Autumn was busy talking with one of the Americans from the groups, they had asked ME to help them blend the food properly. This blew me away. It was at this moment that I realized that the women here have come to recognize that I will be sticking around for a while and more importantly, that they trust me in knowing what I am doing to help these kids (including not just therapy, but in food prep). It was one of the most encouraging things that has happened since I have been here.

As I thought back to the events that unfolded throughout my day today, I realized that each one of them had effected the other. If it weren’t for my great morning, I would not have felt as good about my day going into lunch. And if it hadn’t been for the group (even though I haven’t decided how I feel about groups yet) that brought in the EasyMac for Autumn I would not have felt as good about going downstairs to hang out with the M.C ladies more in Heather’s room, and Presido taking over the first half of therapy for Autumn possibly lead to her feeling energized enough to choose to minister to the Haitian staff, and the amount of time I have spent in the Miriam Center loving on these kids and ministering to the staff today more than likely lead to them trusting me enough to help prepare dinner tonight.

Today I swallowed my own fly, and I know exactly why. Everything leads to another. It’s kind of crazy to think about. Our entire lives are a series of cause and effects. Don’t think about it too much or it might be overwhelming. The one thing I have come to realize while reflecting on these thoughts today has been how thankful I am that I’m not the one ultimately in control of all of these results and impacts. I so thankful for the effects the Lord has allowed me to have in my life today. And because of this, I can’t wait to see the results of tomorrow! Good night from Haiti!

Prayer Requests:

Continued Energy

A few of our kids down in the Miriam Center our sick

The Barnes family adjusting to their new home

Autumn’s staph infection

Thank you all so much for your continuous prayers and support! I love you all so much!

This is a verse on the wall inside the Miriam Center and I absolutely love it:

“I’ll convert their weeping into laughter, lavishing comfort and invading their grief with joy.”

Jeremiah 31:13