Today started out as any other day.  Debra and I made French toast for the team for breakfast this morning.  A guy was outside our place selling stuff today and I bought a painting.  If you know me at all you know I love artwork and this one will find a wall in our home somewhere.  We headed back to the Orphanage to paint.  This morning during devotions Troy asked if I would like to go and see Beth McCools place in PAP.  They run a small orphanage where they have two kids for every 1 nanny and they only take in 20 kids at a time.  I told him I would love to and could not believe I’d get a chance to see it while I was here.  I felt kind of bad since I knew that meant leaving the team for a drive into town while they slaved away at painting but I just could not pass up on the opportunity. 

When I saw the place it exceeded my expectations in every way.  I can’t tell you what it means for me to be here in Haiti and have a chance to check in on these places first hand.  Dave and I feel we have no clue about the whole process as it relates to Haiti and adoptions but now I must say, so many things have fell into place that I really feel confident about the directions we need to take when we start the process.  It has happened through random people and random contacts.

On a side note I did the dumbest thing unintentionally today.  I wore this shirt. 

 On the front of it was a picture of an ice cream cone and under it said chill.  Never thought about this when I packed it but why on earth would I go around wearing a shirt with an ice cream cone ( so many people here are in need of food) and also wear the word chill (it’s so hot here!)  I felt so stupid all day.  Yes I just said the s word.  But at the end of the day I came to realization that it was a good thing.  It was a constant reminder to me all day of the fact that I have what most people don’t have and to sit with that and feel a little stupid about it was so good for me.  I was very self aware of that today.

When we arrived back to the orphanage where the team was today they had just about finished the wall.  It really made the place a whole lot more joyous and trust me this place needs all the joy it can get.  So to my team… so proud of you for all the hard work today and in my absence,  thanks for being a small part of Dave and my journey….. whatever that may turn out to be here in Haiti.