This I know.

Yesterday I went to Port Au Prince with Miss Jackie to drop someone off at the airport and go shopping. As we drove through the city, I saw firsthand the devastating impact that the earthquake had on Port Au Prince. Half of the city consisted of what looked like a giant flea market on steroids. Common sitings include tent cities, crumbling buildings, guns, and guards.

Before heading back to Cange, we stopped by a warehouse to pick up food for the complex. As our driver loaded the food into the back of the truck (including live Guineas), Miss Jackie looked at the mountain of food behind us and the wine bottles safely tucked in a box next to our feet and said, "well, if the truck breaks down on the way back, I think we're gonna be just fine".

Last Wednesday, I mistook the "window" (see picture above) for a jungle gym. For about five minutes, I felt like a little monkey climbing in my natural habitat until a slight twisting movement caused the joint in my right elbow to dislocate. Humpty Dumpty came crashing down in spectacular fashion while Nicole rescued me took photos. This is the fourth time I've dislocated my elbow so it popped back into place shortly thereafter. Needless to say, the odds of me becoming an acrobat just went from 1% to 0. I'll confirm that statistic by paying the doctor a visit when I get back to the States.

This week is going to be busy. Nicole and I will be working on taking inventory at CFFL. I never thought I'd say this, but thank the LORD for Excel spreadsheets. I think Excel might actually have a real brain.

I will also be working with the school director to transmit any knowledge I may have retained from four years of college into the agriculture/entrepreneurship school curriculum. A majority of that "knowledge" consists of basic Excel data management and agriculture business planning spreadsheets that one of my favorite professors gave me. I specifically remember him saying to the class, "these Excel worksheets are a gift to you. They might not make sense to you now, but you will use them later". He was right.

Over the past two weeks, I've been assuming that God would "fill my cup" and neglecting to ask Him to fill my cup. Instead, I've been a sponge and soaked in the sadness and disparity of this place. Last week, I was introduced to two orphans in the Pediatric ward who've been crippled by Meningitis and were left to die at steps of the church. The school-aged children live in a tiny jail cell also known as a crib. The site made me feel sick to my stomach and it was all I could do to keep from bursting into tears right in front of them. They are not unique and I walked out of the clinic asking God why. Why are some people born into wonderful homes and families and why are some people sentenced to a life of misery from the second they enter the world?

Yesterday evening I felt the Lord gently tug on my heart and remind me to run to Him. As I watched the onset of a thunderstorm, I turned towards heaven and thought about Isaiah 49:15b-16, "Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands". The Lord is sovereign and good. I don't know why some people suffer more than others but I know this; God promises something far greater than a temporary absence of suffering. II Corinthians 4:16-18 says,"Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal".

Praise the Lord.