Our first Christmas Eve service outside was fun; interacting with someone in Creole and them "getting it" is exciting; being away from your family during the holidays is difficult; getting up at 5 a.m. and having no water is annoying; and this past week we experienced our first really "just plain hard" reality. We knew when leaving Oregon that there would eventually be an event where we'd get a call and wish we were home NOW! That call came last week. My sister emailed me saying grandma had had a mini-heart attack, that she was in the hospital, that they were running tests, and that they'd know more later. Of course, as soon as I got the email I called to check-in and found that yes, grandma had experienced a mini-heart attack and they were waiting for test results. Thankfully, that same day they did surgery to put a stint in and she was doing great. I called home on Saturday (three days after her procedure), and was able to chat with her and give her a bad time about how some people would do pretty much anything to get out of a lunch date with me that we have planned for May when Bud and I will be home for a visit. She sounded wonderful and we both praised God for His provision and blessings. At one point she said, "You know Cindy, if it were my time, I'm ready..." Thank you Jesus!
On Sunday we went to church in a little, rural community called Gaudin. The school is one of our Starfish Schools and I was excited to see it for the first time. Because there was such a large number of team members going too, we rode about 40 minutes in the back of the "cattle truck" until the road was too steep and then we hiked downhill a quarter mile to the church. When we arrived, church was well underway, so we slipped in the back and sat wherever we could find a seat. Bud and I ended up on the back bench and were thankful as there was a nice breeze from the large double doors which were open the entire time.
I've rarely get up in the middle of a service, but there was a special singing group that I wanted a photo of so I slipped out and when I turned toward the doorway, that's when I saw her. An elderly woman with white hair in a very worn simple dress sitting in the doorway. She was weathered and wrinkled and carrying a crooked walking stick which was laying beside her. Her shoes, once white canvas, were worn to threads with her knarled toes peeking out the corners and ends. I looked specifically at her shoes because in Haiti, if you don't have shoes, you can't come into the church. I thought possibly she didn't have shoes and therefore that's why she sat in the doorway. Soon I realized she had a small plastic cup which she used to beg and assumed she was sitting there waiting for the service to end.
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| God's blessing to me... |
Two hours later, when the service was over, there she was, cautiously moving her way down the steep, uneven dirt and stone walkway to the road. I suddenly realized that while I couldn't be in Oregon to help my grandma this past week, others were and now I had the opportunity to help someone else's grandma. I went over, took the woman's arm and hand, and helped her walk down the rugged path to the level ground. Again, she thanked me over and over, and I thanked God over and over for the opportunity to be a blessing to this woman.
