The weekend before we flew north to our respective homes and families, Lindsay, Shakinah and I spent a day at the beach. I had fun writing a few random messages like this in the Haitian sand, as I anticipated my time at home with Stu, my family, and friends. As you can see by the approaching wave, the message didn't last long ... but I got the picture I wanted. =)
A happy reunion in the JFK airport! After waiting around for about 6 hours in the airport in Port-au-Prince, Jude (left), Lindsay and I got some seats on stand-by and were able to catch a direct flight home. This was such an answer to prayer, as we were able to get home by 1am, rather than the 4 or 5 am that we would have with our original flight schedule. This also helped my piano playing for our worship service the next morning! (though it still was a bit rough after 5 months of not touching a real keyboard ...)
It was such a treat having Jude visit over the short two weeks that we were home. He stayed with a host family in the Reinholds/Denver area and shared his testimony at several local churches and gatherings. It was a real treat for me when he came to my home church, New Danville Mennonite, and helped me lead worship for the morning - we sang a mixture of some Creole songs, and then some more familiar English songs - all with a bit of Haitian fire mixed in =) Jude also shared during the sermon time, and then we invited him over to our house for lunch. He was a bit shocked by the cold weather (wearing multiple sweaters at a time, one always tucked into his slacks, and constantly amused by the look of his breath in the frigid winter air...), but otherwise, really enjoyed his time in the states. I know that his visit was a blessing to many - especially for those who had the privelege of hearing him sing! He is hoping to come back and visit again this spring with the current DTS students on their outreach (and maybe again in September ... ;)
There just can't be Christmas without baking Christmas cookies =) This was something that Stu and I really wanted to do together during my time at home, and as you can see by my face, it was quite the venture! Although, I think the faces were more for effect ... Stu does just fine in the kitchen, and the cookies tasted deeeelicious. Sadly, my stomach could not really handle all the sweets. I think I could count all the cookies I ate on my two hands! After a consistent diet of rice and beans, I don't think my digestive system quite knew what to do with all the sweets and fats (and mass quantities) of food we Americans tend to eat and serve, especially over a holiday season. So most of these cookies filled stomachs other than my own ;)
This is a picture that many of you have already seen ... ;) After a lovely evening of Christmas caroling to our grandparents and some friends from church, Stu Metzler proposed to me - in front of my entire family! And I accepted, with all my heart =) It made for a whirlwind of a Christmas, as we tried to fit in many visits with friends, started talking with my family about wedding plans, and enjoyed every minute that we could just BEING together.
I know that God has been using this time of dating (and now being engaged) long-distance to really strengthen our relationship. When we want to connect with each other, we have no other option but to talk. And so we talk about everything. And now we have a wedding to plan too! But God is so faithful. In my short two weeks at home, I just kept thinking about how blessed I am ... to have 14 days to spend, IN PERSON, with Stu, and with my loved ones... it was the best Christmas gift I have ever received. And I must admit, I was worried that it would be very difficult saying goodbye and coming back here to Haiti for the next 6 months of the school year. But it was not! Don't get me wrong - I miss Stu. Last Saturday, it was almost unbearable. But God is the one who called me here. And God is the one who brought Stu and I together. And His timing in all of this, no matter how strange to may seem to a casual observer, is impeccable. God is teaching both of us SO many life lessons in these months apart - lessons that we will bring to our marriage and that God will use to help us stay strong, in Him, for each other, and for those God brings into our life in our daily comings and goings. He has our best interests in mind and we HAVE to learn to trust Him even when we don't understand the whys and wherefores.
This beautiful Nativity was sitting in our family room when I came home from Haiti, and it immediately caught my eye. I had seen many just like it in the airport when I was trying to amuse myself for 6 hours before flying home... And on Christmas morning, I got a note on my breakfast plate that led to a short scavenger hunt, which eventually led Stu and I down to the basement, to this very Haitian Nativity scene. There we found a little note saying that this was an engagement present (the very first!) for us so that we can remember this year in the many more to come when we will be together in our very own home =) Thank you, mom and dad!
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