the point is..

Man, it's sad the things that take a back seat when life gets busy [blogs, for example]. It's been too long! Lets see, since the last time we talked, I've spent about 3 months flipping between night and day shift every few days [which is killer, btw], tried out a handful of precious little restaurants in Nashville on Friday nights, and I've been on two pretty awesome out-of-town adventures, among other things. You know me, go big or go home :)

First I went to Dallas for a weekend to celebrate the marriage of one of my sweet girlfriends from college to her now-husband. I had never been to Texas before, and it's always fun to travel with friends so it was pretty much a blast. It was like a college reunion with our closest friends, some of which I hadn't seen in WAY too long. It's always good to reconnect and catch up, even if we might not all be together again until the next person gets married.

And then a week after that, I made a last minute decision to visit my family in Haiti! I know, I should have told you... but I kept it a surprise so that they would be excited when I got off the plane there. It was an adventure to say the least haha. I got caught in the whole American-Airlines-computer-crash fiasco on my way down and spent an extra 5 hours chillin in the floor of the Miami airport. My week of Haitian sun was spent catching up with my family at the mission house, loving on the ladies that take care of me like I'm their daughter, surprising my old English class and seeing those ladies, loving on the kids at the Children's Home, and then, to top it all off, I got to spend my last two nights with Karis! It could not have been a better trip [unless it was about 6 months longer haha].

And now, I'm spending a few days at home, taking a break from real life. There's nothing better for the soul than staying up late with sisters, listening to Nanny's stories for hours, and eating your mama's cookin. Sometimes it's the best cure for everyday life.

Anyway... I'm getting back on the blogging horse. I've gone to only night shift now at work, so no more flipfloppin for this girl. And there are no more airplane trips on the agenda in the near future [although you just never know when that might change..]. The point is, I'm back and ready for action. So, stay tuned...

happy birthday!

This past Saturday I turned a quarter of a century old!! Yep.. that's right, the big 2-5! It was quite possibly my best birthday yet [I think I feel that way almost every year haha].

It was complete with:
-a steady stream of texts all day long from best friends, family, people I met last week, and people I've known since I was born
-facebook posts out the wahzoo.. so much fun!
-a 12 hour work day with the best patients I could have had
-the most thoughtful co-workers who know me well enough to get me the perfect gifts!
-a hand-delivered delicious dessert from my small group leader.. such a surprise!
-the majority of my family crouched behind my kitchen counter and my whole apartment decorated for a small surprise celebration when I got off work!
-a sweet package from my Sis because she lives entirely too far away.
-a half-refridgerator-door-full of birthday cards!
-and a few other surprises that we'll possibly discuss at a later date :)

Here are the pictures [however low-quality they might be] to prove how fabulous the day was!

my favorite nail polish ever and a handmade pen from Debbie!

a journal and the cutest card ever from Niki!

delicious treat from Robyn and the YoPros!



 



surprise party from the fam!

a stack of my fav lottery tickets EVER from my daddy!

package from my Sis and Hunter!





my fridge makes me smile now :)

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I celebrated the accomplishment of making it to a quarter of a century! And p.s., highlight of my week by far, this baby girl's birthday is TODAY! She is two years old.. I cannot believe how quick she's growing. I'd give anything to give her a birthday hug... but it's in the Lord's time. Celebrate her with me today by sending a birthday prayer her way!

Happy Birthday Karis!

 

2012 [in snap shots]

January 2012

I got to go to Passion 2012, which was lifechanging and heartbreaking and really challenged us all to DO SOMETHING.

 I returned to Haiti, where I'd left my heart.

February 2012

I turned 24, in Santiago, Dominican Republic, while watching 4 kids' lives be saved by open heart surgeries that made them well.

March 2012

I got to see a little girl eat a popsicle for the first time. It was priceless.

I got to serve in Haiti with my brothers and sisters and parents in Christ, my Calvary family. I can't even explain how much of a blessing it was.

April 2012

God called me to make America my physical home again. Now I have two homes in my heart. Leaving my friends and family in Haiti and not knowing when I'll see them again was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

May 2012

I had one of the toughest months of my life trying to readjust to American life. It felt like I didn't fit in, and no one understood what I was going through. Praise the Lord for friends and family who loved me through it.

I was a bridesmaid in my beautiful friend Elizabeth's wedding!

We grieved [though some of us miles away] the loss of a precious baby boy who lost his short fight with AIDS.

June 2012

I spent a fabulous weekend at the river with the majority of my sweet fam! [missed my sis, of course]

I was a bridesmaid in my beautiful friend Kristen's wedding!

July 2012

We went on our annual vacation to Panama City Beach! So much fun!

Then, I had my heart broken by a boy like I never thought possible.

August 2012

I began the extremely long and painful process of embracing this verse with all my heart.

The baby girl that I love more than anything in the world started WALKING! And I got to see it via Skype :)

I got my first big girl job, and moved, yet again, to a new city.

September 2012

I went to the county fair and rode the Tilt-a-Whirl for the first time in several years. Basically a blast!

October 2012

I decorated tons of pumpkins for Halloween!

And only by the grace and mercy of God was I able to completely understand and conquer the bitterness in my heart and the amount of freedom that comes with forgiving others.

November 2012

I worked my first holiday [definitely won't be the last... turns out people still get sick, even on Thanksgiving and Christmas]. But because of that I got to celebrate Thanksgiving with some extended family in Murfreesboro!

And I learned how to Geocache.

December 2012

I took my Daddy to a candy store.

I gave my big dog a tasty ham bone.

And I got to spend time with my family/best friends, who I wouldn't trade for the world.

This is my life in snapshots from 2012. I got a new devotional for Christmas and couldn't wait to start it so I started on December 31st. That entry is focused on 1 Samuel 7:12 which reads "Thus far has the Lord helped us." It focuses in on the phrase "thus far." This phrase points toward the past, and as I look back on 2012 I would say it was most likely the hardest year of my life to date. I can also confidently say that my God was faithful through it all. I grew so much and learned so much and He never left me... He carried me through it all, as my Provider and my Protector, even on the toughest days. "Thus far" also points toward the future.. it indicates that there is more to come. I know there are more trials to come, more learning and growing to take place in 2013 and the years after that. But I also know that my God never leaves. He's been with me thus far, and He always will be. So it is with high expectations and great joy that I tip my hat to 2012 and say farewell, and turn my gaze forward with a smirk as if to say, "2013, bring it on."

fun in real life

My body forgot what it meant to work 12 hour shifts. For this reason, I am in the bed trying to write a blog and nearly failing to keep my eyes open at 8:45 on a Friday night. Geez... is this what real life is like? Cause this isn't really that fun....

True. THIS right this second doesn't really feel that fun. But, wanna hear some things that I've done this week that WERE pretty fun? Check it out:

1. I moved into a 1 bed room apartment thats super cute and only 5 minutes from the hospital. Since I was born, this has been my living arrangements: me+6, me+3, me+1, me+5, me+1, me+4, me+6, me+10, me+5. and now.... me. It's strange for sure, but I'm adjusting.

2. I started working on the actual floor at the hospital. I love it so far. My fellow nurses are so encouraging and excited to have me, and I think I'm going to fit in great.

3. I personally and effectively connected my own cable and internet with wireless router just from reading directions in a booklet that came in the mail. BOOM. [it only took 14 hours haha]. When I finished I sat back and admired all the wires behind my tv stand, and then watched the beautiful "online" light shine green on my internet modem and router for a while, and now I'm using it all. Hooray! [3 days with no internet or cable in an apartment alone were like torture].

4. I made my first call as a nurse to a doctor today and I think was pretty successful at coming across sweet but not intimidated... and he was polite and nice and even joked with me on the phone. I felt proud.

5. I learned that if you mix 8 oz of milk and 3 oz of mollasses together and warm it just a bit, it can be used as an enema. Then I watched a nurse give one, which made for a sticky rear end. And then in about 10 minutes, made for a sticky bed and floor and everything else in between. Fun times, I tell ya. Now I know it works at least!

6. I had dinner with a sweet friend from Knoxville who is a teacher here now, and I also hung out with friends from high school and watched Honey Boo Boo [which I don't exactly like but it's like it's so bad I can't stop watching... kind of like watching a dog run across the road even though you know he's probably going to get flattened by a car].

7. I got to skype with my sweet friend Cheyenne in Haiti last night, and oh my word I got to see my baby girl Karis WALK! It was all I could do not to cry my eyes out when Cheyenne took her across the room and she walked right to the computer screen.. Praise the Lord for Cheyenne and for his beautiful Hands that heal and protect the babies when I can't! It made my entire month for sure.

And I think that might be about it. Number 7 though reminded me of another really cool thing that happened this week. I'll make it brief, promise. It's worth your time, promise. On Monday I did my first day at the hospital. My preceptor didn't work Monday so I was with another girl who was actually working her last day the next day. We had never met before and I didn't know her at all. During some down time [which we actually had], she started asking about Haiti and what I did there. I got to share with her a little about my time there, which is always fun for me. She said "Oh wow, thats awesome. One of my first cousin's best friends is actually adopting a baby from there." I said "Thats awesome! Those adoptions can be brutal though... they take forever!" She said "Yea I know they have been trying to bring this baby girl home forever. They actually have another little girl from a different country but it didn't take as long to bring her home I don't think. I can't remember what country she's from." I said "Oh okay.. well, I hope it's soon for them." She said "Yea me too... there other little girl is so cute... I think her name is.... umm... umm.... Kia! She's adorable!" [At this point my mouth dropped open]. I said "Girl. Is the baby they are adopting from Haiti's name Karis?" [At this point her mouth dropped open]. She said "Girl. Yes! How did you know that?!!"

A quick explanation of the fact that I basically love Karis with my whole heart and that she's 1 of 20 kids at our orphanage which is 1 of thosands of orphanages in the country and how huge of a God thing it was that we both knew the same baby girl followed. I was in awe of the situation for like 30 minutes afterwards... totally sweet how God continues to confirm I'm in the right place. Praise Him!

Join me in praying for Haiti and the rest of the Caribean tonight as Tropical Storm Isaac makes his appearance. May he come quickly and gently and then be on his way. If anything fun has happened to you this week, I would love nothing more than to hear about it :)

chelsey lately.

"You learn something new every day" - Dad

I've been hearing that phrase come out of my Daddy's mouth since I can remember. Sometimes I doubt it's validity, and sometimes I agree whole-heartedly. Today I drove from Knoxville to Murfreesboro [3 hours] and then Murfreesboro to Lawrenceburg [2 hrs], so needless to say I had much time to reflect on my recent Knoxville extravaganza. So I want to share with you... 

5 new things I've learned lately:

1. When you go on a trip away from home, make sure you have enough toothpaste. If you don't, you may be forced to resort to brushing your teeth with foaming handsoap [which, I might add, leaves your teeth feelings squeaky clean, literally, although you must fight the gag reflex the entire time you brush, and spit, and then some time after].

2. When you go to carry an open toiletries carrier to your car, it is essential you ensure your razor is blade-side-down in the holder. Or else it is essential you pay extra attention to where you're right hand knuckles are. I took neither of these precautions, and ended up with an extremely painful slice. Thanks.

3. When you get hurt by someone you really care about [which is inevitable], it does you absolutely no good to put up a wall and become resentful, vowing to yourself that you won't let that happen again. We were made to love! We cannot be complete any other way. It is, however, supposedly possible to guard your heart with vigilance and love with your entire heart simultaneously. I'm still working out the kinks...

4. When you are a bridesmaid in a wedding, drink plenty of water and avoid at all cost locking your knees during the lighting of the unity candle. I think you can see where this is going.... we attended a beautiful wedding this past Sunday that was absolutely perfect, except the part where one of the bridesmaids passed out cold in the middle of it. Poor girl. It was fabulous nonetheless and I couldn't be happier for the Riley's :)

5. When you wear a shirt with a Bible verse on it to the Pilot at 7:30 in the morning to get gas, the cashier MIGHT read the verse out loud, give you the crazy eye, scribble something that reads "RFID & EBT" on the bottom of your receipt, then pass it to you and in a low voice say "What if I told you theres going to be an event soon from Revelation? Go home and Google this." Yes, this actually happened.

That concludes the life lessons I've been introduced to lately. In other news...

I completed #99 on my "101 in 1001" List which reads: Eat frog legs. Today for lunch at Toot's in Murfreesboro, I ordered and ate them. They weren't bad... I think the best description I can give is a very tender, clean tasting chicken liver. It was a little daring, but YOLO right? [not exactly a fan of this new catch phrase that is plaguing society currently, but thought I'd throw it in anyway].

My heart is aching daily and my dreams and being filled nightly with Karis. I miss her more than I ever thought possible, and am praying constantly that I will get to see her again soon. She is getting so big, and I'm missing it! Here's a current picture from Haiti:

Praying that today, no matter how dark the clouds are or how bright the sun is, you become acutely aware of God's overwhelming presence and magnificent love for us. Buckets of blessings!

God is Good.

I recently finished the book "Erasing Hell" by Francis Chan. It is full of biblical references and the Truth about what the Bible says about hell and eternity and such.. it's worth the read, promise. The point is, one of the last chapters ends with this exerpt that I want to share with you tonight.

Years ago, I came across an article entitled, "Two Minutes to Eternity" by Marshall Shelley, one of the editors of Christianity Today at the time. In the article, Marshall tells the story of the miraculous birth of his son. When the child was in the womb, Marshall and his wife, Susan, found out that their child had an abnormal heart and would probably not survive the birth, if he even made it that far. And so the Shelleys wrestled with God. "This was a design flaw," Marshall writes, "and the Designer was responsible." So they prayed. They prayed for a miracle, they prayed for survival, they prayed that the God of all creation would give the child the breath of life.

Then the day of birth came, and the child was still alive. The child had survived the pregnancy! God is so good! As the child was born, Marshall looked upon his beautiful son: "He was a healthy pink, and we saw his chest rise and fall. The breath of life. Thank you God." 

And then the child died. Two minutes later, their son turned from pink to blue, and he died. The miracle of life was followed by the mystery of death. And as far as the Shelleys were concerned, the Designer was responsible. When the nurse asked the Shelleys if they had a name for the child, Susan responded: "Toby. It's short for a biblical name, Tobiah, which means 'God is good.'"

God is good.

God is good? How could they say that? How could they believe such an unbelievable attribute of God, when everything in that moment seemed to be proving the opposite? Because the Shelleys believed that God is good not only when He makes sense to us, but even when He doesn't. God is good, because God is God. Goodness is inherent in who He is. And the Shelleys believed this. "The name was what we believed, not what we felt," Marshall writes. "It was what we wanted to feel again someday." 

What an amazing testimony to the God that I serve. I can only pray that God grants me the peace and strength to be able to respond like this family when life deals me crap. And I can only pray that you know that no matter whats going on, no matter how bad it is or how hard it seems, GOD IS GOOD. May you rest knowing this today!

A photo update from life since I'm back in Haiti:

This is Mia! Her dad brought her to a medical clinic we did... I fell in love!

Karis turned 1!!!

Me and Kessy at the beach.

the first bite.

Oh, that first bite... you know which one I'm talking about. Many of you may be thinking "oh, that Haitian spaghetti" or "oh, that rice and beans." But you know what I'm talking about... that first bite of me that a Haitian mosquito took of me in this beautiful 2012. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it has happened. I'm back in Haiti and no less than 48 hours after being back, I've gotten my first bite. And once it began to itch and I started to scratch, I just shook my head and thought to myself "Oh yes, its true... I'm home in Haiti!" [similar to the way that when I get to my house in Lawrenceburg and am peeing with the bathroom door open and someone who is not family walks in, I just shake my head and think to myself "oh yes, it's true... I'm home in Lawrenceburg."]

Anyway.. so, I'm back! I spent 5 fabulous weeks in America, mostly having coffee dates, lunch dates, dinner dates, family game nights, church dinners, and on and on. I met some amazing people who have played such an integral part in allowing me to serve the Lord in Haiti, financially and in prayer. I spent so many nights sitting up with my siblings and my parents laughing and talking for hours and hours. I spent a ton of fabulous time with John, and we learned more about each other and more about our Savior together than at any other time I think. I served some different populations in Knoxville and shared the Gospel through love. And a funny thing happened while I was home... I fell back in love with America. And now, I'm in love with two places, and I feel called to two places, and I can see how to serve others and make Jesus famous in two countries. And it was an awesome discovery!

This new found love for America, however, made it much harder to leave home this time. It made it harder to leave John and my family and my church in Knoxville and my friends, and the people that I fell in love with there who I want to serve and love on. But, it didn't take but a couple of hours back in Haiti for God to reaffirm in my heart that this is what He has for me for this season. He is so faithful to provide exactly what I need, exactly when I need it. I was beyond excited to see Karis, who I missed terribly, along with the other kids at the Children's Home. I got to walk through a tent camp and sit down with a little girl who was immediately drawn to me, and I to her. Also, I was able to visit another orphanage here in Haiti that has over 100 kids in it. There was a little boy there that I fell instantly in love with, and it broke my heart to leave him after only knowing him 30 minutes.

Praising God tonight for His timing and His purpose and His plan, which are so incredibly greater and more perfect than anything I could come up with on my own. Goodnight from Port au Prince!

meantime mommy

The word "meantime" is defined as "the time between events." When I think about it, a lot of our life is spent in "the meantime." The meantime seems insignificant, because the big events are what we expect to define our lives. But I'm seeing more and more that the meantime is actually what makes our lives what they are. The meantime and how we respond to it is what makes us who we are.

As you know, in Haiti I am blessed with the opportunity to play Mom for a lot of babies. I'll never actually be their mothers who will provide for them and watch them grow up and such for the rest of their lives. But for now, I am their mom, until they can go home to their parents. I am a mommy in the meantime.. a "meantime mommy." And I love it.

Being a meantime mommy comes with many gifts! I get to love babies to death and not care if I spoil them rotten because I'm not going to be the one dealing with a rotten 3 year old haha. I get to watch moms and dads come and love their babies, and then I get to be the one to comfort and reassure them that I'm taking care of their kids until they can come back. I get to pick out adorable outfits without having to buy clothes. I get to let babies sleep in my bed because I'm never going to have to break that habit for them. I also don't have to say goodbye often, and when I do I can say "I'm coming back soon!"

Some of the gifts are harder to bear than others... for example the idea that one day they WILL go home with their mommys, and my "meantime" will be over. But new kids will always come. My heart just has to learn to grow a little more to fit more people in it each time. I get to be sad and lonely and worry about them and miss them like they are my own while I'm home for the holidays. And right now, I also get to feel the joys of "hand-foot-mouth disease" that I'm pretty sure I contracted from one of my babies before I left Haiti haha. [don't worry... it goes away by itself in about 10 days]. Either way... whether the gifts are easy or hard, they are all beautiful, and I wouldn't trade a second of being a meantime mommy.

It's so good to be home. America is different from Haiti, and we are selfish and materialistic and greedy and sadly mistaken about the Gospel of the Lord. But Haiti has it's own set of qualities that are suffocating and obnoxious and heartbreaking... they are no better or no worse than America or any other country. This world is fallen, and it SHOULD BE heartbreaking because sin lives here and God doesn't live in every heart. So even through the things about America that frustrate me to tears sometimes, it's good to be home and to be back with my family and my friends and to be comfortable and at least know what to expect from the people around me, even if it's not always perfect.

And one more thing... today is the 1 year anniversary of the homecoming into Heaven of my sweet friend Megan Inman. It doesn't seem like it's been a whole year. I know this day is beyond hard for her family and friends, but we must remember that while we cry tears of sorrow here and celebrate the life she had, the angels and the Lord shout praises and thanksgiving for the life she started in Heaven 1 year ago today. Pray with me for peace and comfort, and constant reminders that God has not forgotten us.

A glimpse of life at home so far...

 

Happy 80th Birthday Nanny!!