Left Foot, Right Foot

It's been nearly ten years since I made a blog post. For much of that chunk of time I simply wrote Facebook posts with ramblings of funny/crazy/heartfelt stories and thoughts. Lately I have had more ramblings that just did not belong on that social media platform, but my brain has been itching to get these thoughts into written form. Today I had to Google search to find my old blog, which seems pretty silly. It worked, and here I am. (I did bookmark the site. Ha!) I wrote this piece the other night in bed; I should have been sleeping but I decided to peck the words out on my Notes app on my phone, like a real professional.

So, I'm going to start writing again, or maybe I won't - who knows. 

One thing is certain: I am not the same person I was during my earlier blogging days. That naive girl has grown substantially over the years. But that's a blog post (or ten) of its own for another day. For now, here is my first stab at thought dumping and trying to put to words the images and feelings that bounce around inside me.  Welcome - or welcome back!     

When we were living in Haiti, I almost always had to keep my eyes on the ground everywhere I walked to maintain my footing. Loose rocks, trash, mud, manure, uneven ground. Constant hazards were lurking with nearly every step. A clumsy, sandal-wearing klutz like me could easily be taken to the ground with a roll of the ankle or simply end up with a foot caked in something super gross. So, with every step, I watched my feet walk in the place where God put me. 

Many times as I watched my feet, I would zone out and think about how the moment that I was in would one day in the future just be a memory. It was so surreal that my feet were walking on that surface - usually a rough gravel road - in a small, impoverished country in the Caribbean. I was a stranger in what felt at times like another world. Sometimes those feet of mine were walking away from experiencing something shocking, or joyful, or resoundingly sad. Those feet were tired but continued to carry me where I needed to go next, with no promise of a break. Those feet were connected to me, a person I didn’t know I could become, doing work I never conceived that I was capable of doing. With those dusty, dirty feet, I walked into new situations that my imagination could never have predicted. 

Left. Right. Careful! Left. Right....... 

Fast forward. I’m a nurse working bedside at a hospital in my hometown. I wear cozy, supportive shoes. (Hokas with orthotic inserts, complimented by compression socks, of course! Ha!) The obstacles here are easier to navigate. The hallways I walk up and down are straight, level, and smooth. No dust caked in between my toes. There is no need to watch my feet take each step, but sometimes I still zone out and watch them, in awe that my feet are now here in this place, doing this work. 

Left. Right. Left. Right. 

Smooth strides, almost gliding over the tiled floor. In a place where I feel at home. Though everything is vastly different here, some aspects are the same - my feet are tired, there's no promise of a break, but my feet continue carrying me where I need to go. 

Left. Right. Left. Right. 

I walk the hospital hallways, having just experienced a situation that was shocking, or joyful, or resoundingly sad. These same feet, but now they carry me as a nurse. A real nurse! Here I am doing things that I never dreamed of. I’m capable of more than I ever thought was possible.  I never know what will happen next, but I am absolutely certain that these feet will walk me into many hard situations. The amazing part is this - my steps have brought me to a place that God shaped me for. I can briefly close my eyes and feel my steady stride on my cushy sneakers as I trot down the hallway, headed to my next task. God directed my steps to this hallowed ground. I feel it with each step. 

Left. Right. Left. Right. 

God is ahead of me. 

God is with me. 

God is within me. 

Just as He was in Haiti.

And with these feet, He continues to walk me through the most amazing journey I could ever ask for. 

December 2016 Newsletter

As 2016 comes to a close and we look ahead to the New Year, we would like to express our thanks to you for your ongoing support of the work that God has called us to in Haiti.  Together in this journey, we have seen God move in so many amazing ways.  Please know that YOU are an essential part of this ministry that God has composed.  The incredible thing is that He doesn’t need any of us in order to accomplish His will in Haiti, but He has invited us to join Him so that we can grow closer to Him, to know and love Him even more deeply.

It is our ongoing desire to not only honor God by being obedient and serving Him in Haiti, but to keep you connected as you are engaged in this work.  Your involvement is important and is making a difference, without a doubt!

Here are some things that we believe are in store for 2017 that we will be involved with:

·       A heavy-duty concrete bridge construction at a main river crossing leading into St. Michel.

·       A dental office established to provide St. Michel’s first well-trained dental technician and a place where visiting dental teams from the U.S. can hold clinics.

·       A new ESL (English as a Second Language) course taught to the children at our ministry’s orphanage as well as in one of the high schools.

·       Getting surgeries lined up for children with club feet, advocating for them and seeing to their after-care.

·       Helping equip disabled children with tools they need to become more mobile and comfortable.

·       Home visits to assess health and nutritional needs for desperately poor families/children; implementing plans to improve their health and sustainability.

·       Job creation for mothers that struggle to feed their children.

·       Orphanage visits within the community to assess the health and well-being of the children, as well as any efforts that can be made to reunify these children with their families.

·       Health and nutrition education for families.

·       Educational, emotional, and spiritual support and development for the children in our ministry’s orphanage.

And of course, we have no idea of the countless things God has planned that we don’t know about.  But we do know that our daily life, including discussions and relationships and living by example, will be a testimony to the love and hope that can only be found through Jesus.  That is our goal, to bring the love of Jesus to the lost and better understanding of the Gospel to the believers there in St. Michel. 

We do have a few specific prayer requests for you prayer warriors:

·       For healing of the staph infection/open wound on Allison’s leg.  Allison had a strange reaction to a bug bite in early October.  It remained a blister until we arrived home at the beginning of November, at which time she went to the doctor and began antibiotics for it.  It developed into a dime-sized open wound that would not heal.  Mid-December she was referred to Wound Care, began more antibiotics, and weekly debridement.  A culture indicated a staph infection.  As of today, the wound is 50% healed and the doctor is hopeful that it will be fully healed in two more weeks.  We cannot return to Haiti until it is healed, as the risk of severe infection is far too great while it is an open wound.

·       For wisdom as we search for an intern to serve with us as a homeschool teacher for Brianna and to fill the role as head ESL teacher.  We are hoping for someone to work with us  (as a volunteer) for ten weeks during February through April.  This will be such a huge help to us, and can be a life-changing experience for the intern.  We also anticipate recruiting an intern for the summer as well as the fall.  We want God’s will in this like everything else; we only want the person that He has hand-picked for this position!

·       For healthy financial support for 2017.  We currently are at 80% of our budget needs for pledged monthly support.  God has been faithful in providing for all our needs with random donations and unexpected gifts.  We continue to trust Him, but it sure would be nice (less stressful) to reach 100%.  We need $400 per month in additional monthly pledges to reach that goal.   

With us being here in Paducah for a few more weeks, if you’d like to get together with us to catch up, just let us know.  We’d love to see you! 

Thank you for your prayers, love, and awesome encouragement.  We appreciate it so much.  For those of you that support us financially, we can’t express how humbling that is, and we don’t take it for granted one bit.  You amaze us.  If you feel that God is leading you to donate to our ministry or become a monthly sponsor, and you’d like to know how to go about that, please get in touch with Allison or Brennon.  A donations are tax-deductible.

So here’s to a new year…. 2017, let’s do this!  May God grant us the wisdom, discernment, and courage we all need to tackle what lies ahead!  Love God, love people.  Amen!

Love and hugs,

Brennon & Allison Garrett     

Why?

Most people don't get us.  I understand that, and I'm ok with it.  But I would love for more people to get it, to understand our hearts.  Especially those whom I love that just think we're weird or crazy or (fill in the blank). 

This is my invitation for you to journey with us. 

We go to Haiti and do nice stuff.  Everybody that knows us knows that.  But it is SO MUCH MORE than that.  If that was all it was, I'd be over it.  Totally.  Haiti isn't easy or a ball of fun, and "nice stuff" isn't worth the sacrifices we make...not worth the risks, the expense, or being separated from our family, or even having to sweat so incredibly much.  Nice stuff is worth very little.

But God stuff, that is a whole different ballgame. 

It is worth EVERYTHING.

I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a... you get the point.  I'm a lot of things that are important.  But more important than any of these precious titles, I am a follower of Christ.  He is #1. 

And He has called me to the work I do in Haiti.  He has specifically invited Brennon and me to join Him there. 

The understanding I have of WHY we should go to Haiti is based on this framework: 

Matthew 28:19 - go make disciples of all the nations.

Acts 1:8 - be Jesus’ representative locally, on a regional/national scale, and abroad.

Mark 12:30-31 - love the Lord and love people, that’s the most important commandment. 

I believe these scriptures give us clear instructions of what the Lord expects and desires us to do.  

My agnostic child with Asperger's resentfully asked me why we have to go to Haiti.  My simplified answer:  God invited us to.  I don't know why Haiti, or why us, but He did.  And He's so much smarter than us; He knows everything.  I know He'll take care of us and reward us soooo much.  His gifts are the very best!       

Some people say I am brave.  No, really I'm not.  I just try really hard to be obedient and trust Him.   That's where my courage comes from.  Do I still get freaked out?  Do I want to puke because my nerves are so knotted up?  Do I have a few ugly cries as I pack my bags?  ABSOLUTELY.  

Hear me on this:

I don't like being away from home.  I don't like the unknowns. 

I hate saying good-bye.  I hate making my loved ones sad.

It rips my heart out to be so separated from my older daughter. 

Parts of this SUCK SO BAD.

But you must understand this if you are ever going to get why we do the crazy stuff we do:

There is a deep ache in the marrow of my soul to join God in Haiti.  The ache has yet to go away.  Like a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.  Psalms 42:1  

When I contemplate where my real, true, most passionate joy is found… where I feel most alive and totally fulfilled… where I absolutely hunger to be... it's in rural Haiti, showing love in every way I possibly can to the hurting, the oppressed, the “least of these.”  To encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ.  To reveal Him to the lost.  And with each step that I get closer to returning to Haiti, that ache turns into excitement.  My heart beats stronger, my sense of purpose and self increases. 

There is nothing this world can give me that can compare to the sweetness, the absolute high that I obtain when I totally surrender to God and let Him work through me.  Oh, what precious moments when someone looks into my eyes and sees Jesus, and I can see Jesus in theirs.

I know this sounds like foolishness to some, Greek to others, Jesus-freakishness to many.  And that's okay.  But to those folks, I want to say...

You're missing out. 

This God of mine is so good, and He loves me so much.  He loves you equally as much, and His invitation for you to join Him somewhere to do something amazing is sitting there on the table. 

Open the envelope.  See what He's inviting you to do.  Trust Him and sink your teeth into His good stuff.  It'll be the most delicious thing you've ever tasted.  I promise. 

Your invitation probably isn't to go to Haiti, but He's inviting you to something.  And it is so good. 

Be brave obedient and trust Him!

"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” 

We'll be doing this Haiti gig, and I hope you do your gig. 

Let's journey together. 

  




 

2016 - A New Chapter is About to Begin!

For such a long time we have been praying for direction,

for clarity,

for "What the heck do you want us to do, Lord?!" 

And here we are.  Looking at 2016 square in the face.

Finally, finally, God has removed the blurry, out-of-focus old glasses we've been wearing and replaced them with crisp, clear, new lens that we can see through.

And it looks exciting!

In just a couple of days, we will have a HUGE announcement to share with you.

Hint:

It's all about our family,

a small Caribbean island that we love,

and how those two things will be knit together in 2016.

This is it!

The other day I was having lunch with a long-time, dear friend.  I was telling her all about my recent trip to Haiti and the new endeavors that are unfolding in my life.  She paused and said, 

"You do realize you're glowing right now, don't you?"  

I was.  Like a mother fawning over her beautiful newborn babe.  Or a giddy Spongebob.  Whatever....you get the picture.  This new season in my life that I've been blessed with.....I can't help it....it makes me light up with joy and anticipation of what lies ahead.

I think I've finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up.  And considering that I'm quickly approaching the big four-oh, I suppose I am well into official grown-upary and this revelation is long overdue. 

I am pursing...

 ((drumroll please))

becoming a child advocate.

As in: trained, legit, for reals.

Today I began my training to become a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer.  That means that I will be advocating for children that are victims of neglect/abuse that are involved in the court system.  It will be my job to be a voice in court on the child's behalf to express the child's wishes and my recommendations about what is in the best interest of that child.  I will be working through Child Watch Counseling & Advocacy Center here in Paducah.  

I'm excited about this opportunity to put my previous experience to good use - from my time working in law enforcement, to foster care, adoption, and being a mom of a kid with special needs - it's a great avenue to combine my gifts and knowledge with my passion.  Pretty stinking cool.  Not to mention that future training and certification opportunities are on the horizon that will give me more skills to do what I love more effectively.

 

But I think in terms of Acts 1:8 -

 

"...you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

 

CASA work here in Paducah is my "Jerusalem."

 

Now let me tell you about my version of "Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth":

 

HAITI

(Like you didn't know.  Duh.)

 

But I want to tell you specifically about where in Haiti.  During the course of this year, Brennon and I have been seeking where God wants us to serve in Haiti.  God made it clear to us that He isn't done with us in Haiti, but He took His sweet time to reveal where exactly He was sending us in that little Caribbean nation.  Now we have reached the point that we are clear and confident where we are going and who we are going to partner with.  

 

Let me introduce you to our dear (new) friends:

 

Haiti Foundation Against Poverty    

 Haiti Foundation Against Poverty (HFAP) is located in Port-au-Prince, and was founded in 2007 by an extraordinary young woman by the name of Mallery.  A mutual friend of ours suggested I stalk her send her a friend request on Facebook to get to know her.  I quickly realized that this chick was somebody that I could relate to.  In February, I got to spend some time with her and her awesome husband Frentz (and their absolutely adorable son Jayvan) and see HFAP with my own eyes.  The top-notch Hope House orphanage, the amazing Les Bours School, the Gift of Hope program to empower mothers and keep families together.  Love love love!  The mission and heart of HFAP, the team, the way things are run, the ministry's transparency, everything was a resounding "YES!" in my heart.  Since February, Brennon has made two trips to HFAP to help out with work projects that required someone with his skill set.  And I'm eager to get back there in just a few months to work on a few projects.  Woohoo!

 

Mallery and Frentz Neptune (with Jayvan in his arms) with the Hope House kiddos.

  

And also meet:

 

 Living Hope Haiti 

 

On my way home from my trip to Haiti in February, God sat me right next to some guy named Calvin, the co-founder of Living Hope Haiti.  For two hours on that flight to Miami, despite my best effort to convey the message "I'd like to be anti-social now," Calvin talked my ear off and made a list of all the projects that me and my husband (whom wasn't even present, mind you) would be a great fit for within the ministry.  By the end of the flight, I knew one of two things was for sure - either this guy was nuts for trying to recruit us (being total strangers) OR God was opening up an important door.  Or maybe a little of both.  Ha!

 

LHH is located in St. Michel de l'attalaye in northern Haiti.  It is a beautiful, mountainous, rural location that makes me joyful to my very core.  LHH is a multifaceted ministry with one ultimate goal: to witness the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of the St. Michel area through education and medical services.  Elementary schools, a vocational school, church plants, medical clinics, economic growth projects, a radio station, and an orphanage.

 

View from the yard of Living Hope Haiti's high school.

 

In May, Brennon traveled to LHH with the ministry's president, Dr. Gueillant Dorcinvil, who is a native of St. Michel.  It was a fast trip filled with a bunch of electrical work and learning about the ministry.  Brennon came home with a peaceful "two thumbs up" feeling regarding LHH and our future involvement with the ministry.  We had hoped that this past summer would allow us to travel to St. Michel to get our feet wet with the work there, but the nasty mosquito-transmitted virus Chikungunya made us put our plans on hold.  I was finally able to head down there just a few weeks ago to see LHH for myself....and it was a definite Yes! that this is the other ministry that we are to partner with.

 

Kiddos at one of the elementary schools run by Living Hope Haiti.

 

 Brennon....well, he's the Jack-Of-All-Trades and is a total MacGyver that is useful anywhere he goes in Haiti...so he'll fit right in to help with the many projects that LHH has going.  Me...well, I've just met 18 of the most precious kids that are true orphans living at the LHH orphanage, and have been invited to be a voice for their needs.  Yep, Calvin and Dr. Gueillant invited me to help LHH accomplish their goal of providing excellent care for these little ones entrusted to them.  I've never been so humbled and simultaneously bursting at the seams with excitement to have this opportunity to invest deeply into the lives of vulnerable kids.  When I got home from my trip and was relaying all my stories to Brennon, I told him, "I want to pour myself into these kids...not just now, not just this year, but long-term.  I want to watch them grow into healthy, happy adults and flourish as leaders in their community, thriving with families of their own."  So...our family just grew a bit... by 18 more kids that happen to live across a little ocean.          

          

Because there's always fun to be had with an iPhone.

As I told the 18 kids and my new friends Merceda, Chrismarie, Emanise, and Evanie (the orphanage administrator and the housemoms...unsung heroes and my sisters in Christ).  "By the grace of God, Brennon and I will be back to St. Michel in January."  Yes, our tickets are already booked. 

So to summarize:

We are not moving back to Haiti.

We have work to do right here in Paducah.

But we will be traveling to Haiti often.

There's lots of work for us to do there, too.

And I finally know what I am going to be when I grow up.

I am a child advocate.

I am a servant of Jesus.

 In Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

The Lord of Heaven and Earth has graciously shown us the work He has for us to do, both here and afar.  We are humbled and ever so thankful that He is giving us this incredible new season of adventure, allowing us to be a part of His great plan.

Our hearts are full and we are ready to roll!

 

The Time Has Come.

In the great words of Dr. Seuss, spoken to the character Marvin K. Mooney:

"The time has come.  The time is now."

Last week, my time had finally come.  With passport in hand, I got on a plane heading down to the island of Hispaniola.  I flew in to Cap Haitien, a city on the northern coast of Haiti, ready for the next chapter of my life to begin.

That very same week a year ago, my family and I had packed up and moved back to the U.S. from our home in Cazale, Haiti.  It was hard.  One of the most painful events of my life.  I was not ready to leave, did not want to leave.  But God said it was time to return to our ol' Kentucky home, so we did.

During that bumpy drive to the airport from our house in Cazale, my heart felt like it was ripping in half.  There were lots of tears.  Sobs, even.

Our pastor later gave us the best advice we could have received.  

"Grieve."  

We had suffered a loss in that life-change, and grieving was what we legitimately needed to do.  And so, we did indeed grieve.  As most people know, grieving is not a quick and easy process.  

We went through all the stages of grief.  

The isolation, the anger, the bargaining, the depression...

....and finally the acceptance.

The process took a solid year.

 

We struggled with forgiveness and harboring resentment towards people that had hurt us.  Two steps forward, one step back...that seemed to be our emotional pace for many months.

We received wise counsel from precious people that God specifically placed in our lives that helped us work through the junk.  We were loved on and encouraged.  Our brokenness was validated.  We were not alone in our hurt.  We joined hands with others who understood, who were also walking down this particular path. 

  Meanwhile over the course of the past year, we have dealt with some difficult stuff.  Stuff that God knew in His infinite wisdom that we needed to be at home to deal with.  I had some health issues that had to be worked through.  Both of our kids had some school issues (college and middle school).  Both of them also needed us to invest emotionally into them more intentionally.  And there were handfuls of other important things that we needed to tend to...things we just needed to be here for.  Things that my husband and I would be in the midst of and pause to look at each other, saying, "It is good that we are present for this.  Right here.  Right now.  God knew."

 We worked on our family.  On our marriage.  On our spiritual health.  We even worked on long-neglected home improvement/repair projects.  And Brennon, well...he just simply worked.  He immediately returned to his job and resumed bringing home a paycheck, which is a super good thing.

Fast forward to October 2014.

A new chapter begins.

 

God has allowed new seeds to be planted in our lives, and we are watching them grow into something beautiful.  

He has shown us the work He has planned for us....which we have been pleading to see and understand for a long time.  

He has guided us to new people and places and shown us where we can confidently let our roots establish.

He has revealed to us that for now, we can firmly stand with one foot in our hometown of Paducah and the other foot in Haiti.  He will balance us and use us in both places.

We now have direction.

We now have work to do.

And.  We.  Are.  Stoked.

 

Exciting stuff lies ahead.  I want to tell you all about it.  

And very, very soon, I will!

               

Singing Praise to the Lord