Recap of 2006

I love the end of every year for the purpose I get to reflect what I have accoplished. And this year has been full of New experiences.
First of all in May I graduated High school. Yea that was so exciting. Truth be told though I sometimes miss it and the people that I got to see and talk to everyday that are now far away. But I can reflect on the experiences I had and the things I learned while I was in high school and apply them to my future.
In the summer I was head swim coach for a public swim team in Mt. Vernon and that was a lot of fun. It taught more responsiblility and how to work with people that you may not see eye to eye with. Haha, I know i have to get used to it.
Also durning the summer I got to go on IMPACT tour. IMPACT was a distirct choir that I was a part of. It was set up by the Southwest Indiana Nazarene churches. I was a part of it for three years and this years week long tour just added to my memories and the lessons that God has to teach you. I meet some amazing people who I have an awesome bond with only because of God. One girl whom I just love to pieces is Katie Friedmen. She is amazing and has taught me so much. She is currently doing Mission work in Africa and will be there for at least another week. I can not wait until she gets back. She wants to be a missionary, now I know why God made a strong connection between us so long ago. God is always at work on Impact tour. We had about 30 high school kids and three adult ladies on tour, so you can imagine some of the things that went on, lets just say that there was lots of excitment and boys playing with fire. Imagine that!
Not long after tour I went to church camp. Thats always a treat too. Being totally isolated from tv and the outside world for a week. I love everything about it. Just being able to sit under tress and talk to friends who are trying to serve God just like you and to be able to help each other is great. I have a few friends here at home that are christians and that is wonderful but sometimes you just need someone else. Church Camp another amazing week.
Then there was the day in July mom told me that we were adopting Manthania. By this point me and Alyssa had already knew. We had known for a few days. I also found out that day that Michelle trumps on the list of people to tell. Haha. Though it is the truth Mom told Michelle before she told me. Not that I really care I just wanted to share that with you all.
The day after Thanksgiving marked the day that I had been single for a year. Now I normally would not mention this but because of this some amazing events occured. See Matt (that was my boyfriend) and I dated for about three years. And I got pretty attached to him. I look back on it now and I don't even know how we lasted for three years. But because we broke up I started to focus more on myself and my spiritual life. I mean I always did my devotions and I felt like I was getting stuff out of them but at the same time I did a really bad job at listening to God and what he wanted to tell me. But over the course of this year I felt like I have done do much better. I have been more open to listening. Enoying the quiet and stillness that I didn't before. I feel like this year I have learned so much and that I am closer to God now than ever. So thats what I need a year to focus totally on me and God. To make sure that he was first and formost in my life. I needed this year to get everything squared away and to realize that God has a bigger plan for me than I did. He is so amazing!
Along with that I also made my first Trip to Haiti. Which as I have told you all before was amazing. It really has me captivated. I can not wait to be back there in one month and 2 days. WOW I can't even believe it. Its so wierd to think that I will be going back so soon. But I am so glad that God has put this love in my heart and has helped me find a way to go back to the children that I love so much.
So that was the year of 2006 in the life of Bethany. Of course that was the short version. I have so much else that happened but I don't want to bore you all too much, haha. If you read this far I am sorry it wasn't shorter. Writing this much was not the intent when I started. Actually I was hoping to be asleep by now but sometimes when I start talking or writing in this cause it hard to get me to stop. But I am not closing with this note.
I LOVE YOU and HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope this past year was great and the 2007 will be even better!
O.K. I lied I forgot one thing my New Years resolution, (which I normally don't make because I am not good at keeping them) To get closer to God live my life to the fullest possible measure. OK now I am finished.

The call back

Life is full of choices all of us has to make. Desicions that will help us on our walk with God and that will help us herold the call he has for us to follow. It took me a long time to find my call and when I found it I was terrified. The one thing I had always ask not to be was what God called me to do. So I went to Haiti, in my mind I thought that I was prepared for what I was going to see and that I knew a lot of stuff. I mean I had so many people preparing for all different aspects. The second night of the trip I became pretty overwhelmed. I cried for a while that night. Seeing Haiti in person is something that is indescribable. I mean you can tell people that its a third world country and show them pictures. You can tell them that people will want to sell you things, that people will use the restroom on the side of the road. They can tell you that the people of Haiti only make a dollar a day or maybe $300 a year. But until you are there no matter how much you know you still don't understand. I realized that when I was crying into my dads shoulder. As the week went on it got easier for me but still once in a while I would find myself sheding a tear or too. I spent most of everyday playing the the children of the Orphanage. I lucked out in the aspect that we didn't really do a lot of work so I got to spend so much time playing with the kids. I got to jumprope and play with sidewalk chalk and best of all I got to hug all of them!!!

I love Matu, I am a little partial to her. But I love each and everyone of those kids. In Febuary I have a trip planned to go to Belize for two weeks. I have been looking forward to this trip for quite a while. When I first got back from Haiti I had no desire to go to Belize all I could think about was Haiti. Now I week later I have been praying about this and God has led me to the conclusion that I can go to Belize later that he has something else for me. He wants me to go back to Haiti. So the money that I was going to put toward my trip to Belize is going to going to pay for me to go back to Haiti. Hopefully with some luck I can get a good price on tickets and go back to the little country that holds so much of my heart and thoughts. I want to use all the gifts God has given me to help the children and the people of Haiti. I hope that one day in the future I can go and spend more than week of my time helping the children. Someday I hope to be a much bigger help but for now I will have to use the weeks I am there to help has much as I can.

So my call back to Haiti is one that I love. I loved every aspect of being down there and I can't wait to go back. Haiti is a lot more to me than the place where my sister was born, I care so much for that country and those children that I spent all week with that I don't even know if I can explain it!

My Haiti Adventure

Matu, me and the cup

Steven and his shirt from Papa Shawn
My little buddy Jefferson or Zeff if you ask Noah!

Jonas and the serious look that you hardly ever see!


Nata and Fritz with Mama Laura and Papa Tom how cute all we need is Max and Zoe and that would make the family.

Ben and Bryce (Shaw) the cutest brothers ever!!!



You-You and I what else can I say except I love her.

Bethany and Bethany for some reason everyone thought this was so funny?





Angela wearing ribbons from her Mama!

Matu loved wearing Papa's sun glasses!

Nata, Fritz and I at wings of hope.

Angela spent one morning doing my hair she even put the ribbons her Mama gave her in my hair. This picture was of me and ,y hairstylist. Isn't my hair lovely?

Babaldo and I. Haha!!!

As you can see my trip went wonderfully. It was so amazing, I wish I could share all my pictures with you but there just isn't enough space. These children are amazing and even though I am at home my heart is in Haiti and I long to be back there. Playing with Matu, singing wityh LourdesMia, spinning tops with Bethany, holding Jefferson, watching Steven play the piano, seeing Jonas run in and out of you-you's room, and just knowing that everyday would be spent with these amazing children. Being back has been so hard and I often find my self crying and wanting to walk into the front door of the "O" and hear the children call out my name. Seeing Matu was so wonderful playing with her and hearing her laugh and say my name. I got to teach her who her Mama is and see her point at the picture as she learned. I just got to know her and her personality and I know now who perfect she is for my family. Not to mention how much she loved her Papa. IT was wonderful to see her giving him kisses and him holding her as she fell asleep at night. I have so much to share and tell you all. There will be much more to come but I wanted to give you just a little taste of my first Haiti experience. This is not the last trip either!!!

Love in Christ, Bethany

Manthania Here I come!!!

1 John 4:18
Where God's Love is, there is no fear, because God's perfect love drives out fear.

There you have it. I am not afraid and I will not be a afraid. There is nothing to be afraid of as long as I trust in God. Tomorrow morning I am flying out of evansville and starting my journey to Haiti. I am so excited. Since last thrusday there has been no fear only excitment. It is going to be amazing. While I am there I hope I can stick to the quote;
Yesterday is history...tomorrow is a mystery... Today is a gift that's why it's called the present.

I know its a silly quote but while I am there and when I get back I want to remember that. I often find that I take days forgranted. I need not do that. Each day is a gift from God and I shoudl cherish them. I know I will especially while I am down there. I never know what is going to happen tomorrow so I much live each as though it were my last.

I hope that you all have a wonderful week and be prepared for all the pictures and stories I will have about Manthania and all the other children.

I love you all.

Presents, Pierre, and Presence

Today is exactly one week from the day I will arrive in Haiti and meet Manthania! Dad and I started packing sometime last week or so but tonight we got out last bag we are going to use as one of the four 50 pound bags to take to the orphanage. And so we started stuffing things into this last bag. Trying to make sure that everything people brought us was going down there with us. But after we packed the last bag we realized we still had the christmas presents we had bought for all the kids, we would have just stuck them in one of our carry ons but we couldn't because each present has a bottle of bubbles in it and there are around 31 presents! So we had to unpack and repack and unpack again. Finally we worked it out but we still had things left over. We had extra crib sheets and a few toys and one package of diapers and I still had to find a place for JoJo fanny pack and things. We also still have to put my dad and I snacks somewhere?? So dad and I carry things upstairs and start going through what room we have in our bags. We had to sacrifice something, but what? Our own clothes. No we aren't going with out them, haha. Both of us will just have to double up on shorts, though I think dad will more than I will. (shh!) Michelle if he stinks just don't tell him, will just let him think its alright. We got everything in somewhere though. My suitcase is bulging I almost had to sit on it to get it closed and my back pack is filled with lots of goodies. I have just enough room left for my ipod and journal and maybe a small book. I can't wait to get to give the kids thier christmas presents, and You-You and Jimmy too!!! And I can't wait to get to celebrate my 19th birthday thier yea yea yea! It is going to be so funny to see me with all this stuff trying to lug it up to the "O" i'm sure.

On the Manthania front we found out that Nathan talked to man from the town of Manthania who knew her family. Yes thats right we found someone who new she existed. He told us that her last name was Pierre (he couldn't remember what her first name was), he said that the whole Pierre family has died and that he assumed that she had died also but after i guess seeing a picture of her he knew that she was the little Pierre girl. Just a little something that we can tell her as she gets older. Besides that we are just waiting for a little more information from Gail to see just what to do next.

And my life, I know that at times I am slacker when it comes to doing my daily devotions but I try my best to remember but I get busy and then I stay up to late and by the time I get upstairs all I want to do is sleep. But I have been reading a devotional called " The faith Journey through Fantasy Lands" which takes different elements from Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Harry Potter and combines it with bibical stories. The part of the book I read last led me to the book of Esther, which is my favorite book of the bible. When I was looking through different side notes that my bible has it told me that no where in the book of Esther is the name or God mentioned and neither is the word pray, at least not in the NIV version. It just amazes me that in in a book in which his name is not written the God is so present. It also made me think of the movie resently "One Night with the King" It was totally awesomeand just brought more to my favorite book of the bible than I thought. It made me think deeper into each person in the story and showed me that there was so much more to Esther and the Kings relationship. I mean I knew it was there and that he must have loved her but it was just brought to life for me. And as I know Angela will agree with me Esther's outfits were awesome! All of this reminded me that God is there all the time even when I don't exactly feel overpowered with the holy spirit that he is still ever present. His presence is like the wind you can't see it but you can feel it, i guess that could be why the bible tells that faith is being sure of what we hope and certian of the things unseen.