This email was sent by a woman I met in Haiti. She is an American nun living in Port au Prince. There is something that really struck me from her message. I thank her for her honesty and bravery in sharing this process and her story. Makes ya think, don't it? Happy merry etc. love peggy
General donations for Haiti can be sent to:
For several months, I
had been feeling like I couldn't do this anymore. In fact, just a few weeks
ago, I wasn't sure if I'd make it 'til Christmas. My prayer was something like,
"God, I want to do Your will but I don't feel like I can. No one listens
to me and I don't think it's ever going to get better. I'm tired, lonely,
discouraged. Maybe it was not Your will but mine that brought me to
Haiti..."
At some
point between then and now, I realized that living joyfully is a choice
that I can make each day and it's all about my attitude, not how others treat me. Haiti hasn't
changed much in 200 years so I probably won't see it in my lifetime either, so
if I'm going to continue, I must stop trying to fix everything, make people do
what is right, straighten out all the problems in the school system, and just
do what I can and let the rest go. After all, dealing with challenging people
builds character, right? I have had a lot of negative experiences but I don't
have to view every day through a dirty windshield (that is, if I had a
windshield to get dirty). I decided that this habit of seeing the bad rather
than the good has to stop! So I simply resoluted (if that’s a word) that with
God's help I was going to stop focusing on the problems and dwelling on how bad
everything is. Reliving every harmful and depressing thing that has happened
over the past 10 years is only making me miserable; so from that moment on, I
lifted my head and started to search for the best in every situation. When I
couldn't sleep because it was too hot in my room, I thought about how many
people don't even have a bed to sleep in or the privacy of a room to themselves.
When I numerated all the things I disliked about my job, I remembered that the
majority of people here don't have a job or money to buy food to feed their
families. When I looked in the mirror and saw the wrinkles and gray hair, I
realize what a blessing it is to be alive and healthy. You know what? Maybe I
don't have it so bad! Ninety-five percent of the people here would change
places with me in a second. Look at the opportunities I have on a daily
basis--a roof over my head, support from friends back home, money to help
others get ahead, an education, a job, the freedom to travel outside my
country, food to eat every day, the internet in my house, and the list goes on.
I knew when I moved here that it wouldn't be easy, so I decided to stop
thinking about moving on until God steps in and moves me.
Well, the very next day,
I started looking people in the eye when I made my way to school, and started
"seeing" the street people rather than just walking by and dropping a
small coin in their tin cans. I reached out to the child slaves that attend the
school and actually heard their plight. I purchased medicine for the
handicapped man who shared how he was unable to have a bowel movement for
several days and hadn't a penny to buy food or water, let alone $5 for constipation
meds. I gazed at the sad eyes of the mentally ill woman and held her hand as we
exchanged the sign of peace. A week later, we started a small jewelry business
for the youth so they can have some sort of life, rather than just scraping to
get by. I finally get to work on art projects again with a group of
enthusiastic young women! And the following day, an elderly man I see every
morning on the way home from church stopped me and told me how he hopes I stay
in Haiti forever because I am so friendly to everyone. Really, I wanted
to look over my shoulder to see who in the world he was talking to! OMG! It was
me!
So, with a renewed spirit, I trust that the One
who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it, and I'm counting
on that promise. "O God, thank You for Your grace which is so good that
sometimes I struggle to believe it's true.” As this year comes to a close, and
I thank God for the courage to continue but even more for rescuing me from
myself!
And for
those who don't want to buy another useless Christmas present for someone who
doesn't need anything, there are people on every side of me that won't receive
a single gift. They need life's necessities--food, medicine, tuition, and clean
water to drink. Cholera abounds in this area. Won't you share a bit of your
abundance this CHRISTMAS with someone who literally has nothing?
Thank you for your
continued support and may all your Christmases be as bright as the star that
shone some 2000 years ago and continues to live on in our hearts as we share
our light and love with those who are less fortunate.
.
Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year 2014!
Nancy
General donations for Haiti can be sent to:
Nancy Hibbard, N8583 Currie Rd, Portage WI 53901
Tax-deductible donations can be sent to:
St. Mary's Church, 309 W. Cook St., Portage, WI 53901
Please note clearly that the donation is for Haiti.
