Welcome Home

My family is home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Oh how wonderful it was to throw my arms around these three people and welcome them home!   They arrived here around 8:20 with James and John as well.  I was blessed to be a part of the reunion between James and his Mom and grandfather out on our sidewalk.  Karen and I shared tears together.  What a surprise!!!

I had been warned that there were some hungry people coming into my home who hadn't eaten since 1:00.  What a privilege to serve them and sit around the table and hear the beginnings of so many untold stories. 

 The table conversation seemed centered around the "need to know basis" stories.  Translation:  various situations arise over the course of a trip such as this and at times that information is only given on a "need to know basis".  This applies to the team in Haiti as well as some of us here at home.  For example--not everyone needs to know about the mouse they couldn't find in a certain bedroom. As well, not everyone needs to know about  the reasons why some of the dried soup mix was prepackaged.  And...there are certain ones of us back home who do not need to know just how many people can actually fit in the back of a pickup truck while it slides down mud-strewn "roads".

 My son, who stayed overnight, offered to get up and make his sister pancakes with chocolate chips for breakfast.  Yes, he was the hero!!  I have not seen my girl that wide awake in a long time!  She put a country CD in the stereo and was dancing around the house to the music, and savoring syrup-laden pancakes.

And I was getting "my fill" of family again in generous portions.  Oh how it made my heart sing to watch and be with these people I love so dearly. 

                                      

 It is just so comforting to have this guy home.  I woke up around 5:45 and felt him there beside me and just smiled inside.  "My husband is home:)"

I have been learning some parts to stories that I hadn't been aware of.  My husband was "the someone" who planned several weeks ago to honor all of us mothers on Mother's Day.  He sent emails to everyone on the team asking them to make sure they had something prepared while they were gone.  And for some of us Mom's at church, the flowers and cards were all his idea.  Apparently it was no small task to get two unnamed young men to write their Mom's notes.  But Karen and I thank you profusely.  :)  Brian really felt I should know this background information as it would certainly earn him big points!!!!  

Remember the afghans?  It wasn't just one per household, it was one per family member!!  The team gave our eighteen of these beautifully handmade gifts.

This afternoon Brian and I will head up to Eden (our cottage).  I so anticipate hearing more and more of the rich ways that God moved among this group of people.  Just to be together will be rich.

And this guy.  I just loved having 10 minutes to sit with him this morning and hear some of God's work in his own heart.  These are the moments I have been missing and the ones I cherish.

Last night before bed, he began to sing to me two hymns in Creole.  The one was "Amazing Grace", which Cam said has different words in Creole because of the difficulty of translation.  As he spoke the words to me in English a holy hush came to my soul.

"Lord, there is nothing I can give You
Only a suffering, broken heart
And without you I cannot be healed
My mystery is before you."

He could not have known how timely those words were for all that has been going on in me these past weeks.  God is so gracious and merciful to us.  His faithfulness is revealed time and time again and I stand in awe of all of the wonder and majesty and grace that is God's and God's alone.

May this great God guide us and continue to use each of us on the mission fields of our own Canadian soil.