Coming and Going

This is a picture from last year, but it still applies ;)

 With the summer season comes the constant fluctuation of people coming and going. Teams coming in, serving with a local pastor or church, and leaving. Staff from the states coming into the country to serve for 2-8 weeks alongside our teams and leaving. The airport is the hangout spot where many of us get to meet up on the designated airport days. It's usually quick with a "Hey, how have your trips been going? Who are you picking up today? Where are you headed? Oh...my team's here, gotta run!"

Sometimes, though, in the midst of all the comings and goings, there is time for a cup of coffee or a few days to rest and be refreshed. This summer, for some of our stateside staff, our house has become the rest place. We have had (so far) 5 different staff members stay here and even more come to share a meal with us. This is something we enjoy as a family. Hosting people. Making them feel at home. Let them catch up on their laundry. Eat a good meal--something other than the regular rice and beans they get the rest of the time they are here.

Bityah knows all the staff by name and every morning, it's a fun game for her to go through the names of the staff members that could potentially be here. She says, "Mommy, let's go downstairs and see....(insert all staff names here)..."  She is always so excited to see whoever is down there. To show them her toys, have a tea party, or read books. She has become quite the little hostess! (Making Mom and Dad proud with that one!)

I hope everyone who comes to stay at our house, whether that be for a few minutes, hours, or days, feels welcome and can truly have a restful time so they can continue to serve well throughout the summer. I remember all the coming and going I did when Al and I were leading so many trips when we were first married. In fact, as I was doing laundry (for our family and a staff member) this morning, I told a friend, "I remember when we were leading all those trips, we would have two sets of clothes. We would wear one set for one trip, drop it off to be washed and pick up the freshly washed set." We did that all summer that first year. What a blessing it was to know that our laundry could and would get done when we didn't have the time to do it ourselves.

I am so glad to be able to host our staff--give them good food and a place to rest. To some of them, this is almost like a second home in Haiti. Glad that this can be a constant place where they are welcome. Where they can sit and eat brownies and enjoy some good fellowship. Glad my kids get to be a part of this refreshing process and get to know these wonderful men and women serving the Lord well here. I am thankful that I get to be a part of the ministry in this way.

Pray for our staff from the States and from Haiti as they are serving week after week. Pray that they would find time to be refreshed and rejuvenated so they can serve each team, pastor, and community well.  It is a big task that they have in front of them this summer and are relying on God for their strength!