Medical clinic in Jacmel Haiti

On July 4th, 2016 my Grandma Taylor passed away, at the same time my dad had been hospitalized with heart issues. So as you can understand, so far the month of July has not gone as planned. My mom is the oldest girl in her family and grandma had appointed her to make funeral arrangements. With my dad being in the hospital back home in Georgia my mom didn't want to leave him to travel to Michigan so I flew North in her stead. Because of the unexpected travel and the emotional week I had there was no time to journal. I arrived back to Florida the day before yesterday.
Today I got on my computer and decided I had better catch up on some things that I had fallen behind on, including my blog. Well I found an entry that I had started a long time ago and never finished, so here's a trip from a couple of years ago.

Heather and me in Jacmel Haiti

During our trip to Jacmel there were some demonstrations and political unrest going on. Since it wasn't safe to travel very far and all roads leading outside of town were blocked Darlys started looking for places close to her for us to visit.

Medical clinic in Jacmel

There is a medical clinic in Jacmel that brings in medical teams to help keep it running. The day that we visited the staff was waiting for a team to arrive but because of the demonstrations they couldn't get to the clinic.

Pharmacy area

This is facility has taken care of the people in the area for several years and offers continued health care that many other areas don't have.

More of the pharmacy

The teams stay in the building so there isn't any travel once they arrive. I thought it was nice that the teams can settle right in and get to work without having to do a lot of setting up so medical care is consistent for the local residence.

Medical team sleeping area

The clinic is on the outskirts of Jacmel close to the water so the view is breathtaking! After a long day at work it's nice to sit on the porch and look out at that :)

View from the porch at the clinic

We appreciated the hospitality of the workers there and even though they had work to do to get ready for the team that was coming in they still took time to show us around.

A local missionary telling Heather & Darlys about the clinic

This story is from the trip that Heather and I took to Haiti when we visited around at different ministries throughout the country. Looking at the pictures again and remembering my visit makes me miss Haiti even more. I don't know when I'll get an opportunity to go back but I anxiously look forward to it. Thank you for taking this walk down memory lane with me.
Many Blessings!!

What now?

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"  Isaiah 6:8

Isaiah 6:8 has been one of my favorite verses and one that I have tried to live by. When people ask me what I want to do with my life, for the past several years, my response has been, "To be open and willing to go wherever the Lord sends me." I love mission work, plain and simple  Now the question comes, What do you consider mission work? (1) The first answer is also simple (Mk 16:15-18) "Jesus said go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation..." (2) Loving on people and letting them know they matter (3) Giving people hope (4) Helping people help themselves.

When I tell people about myself I get many mixed reactions. One of the most common is that there are many opportunities to help right here in the US and they are correct. And if the Lord calls me to stay here at home then I pray for His peace to be on that, however that is not what is in my heart. Then another reaction I get is, "Aren't you scared when you go to all those places?". Honestly no. I love to travel. Now here is where I get a lot of criticism, people seem to think that I'm on a continual vacation. I don't just randomly run around the world. When I go somewhere I put a lot of prayer into it and if I don't get a yes from God I don't go. When I'm going back and forth on whether or not I should go and the Lords peace isn't there then I take that as a no.

Almost six years ago I started this journey and I can assure you it has not turned out like I thought it would. By now I thought I would be working full time in a ministry in Haiti. Obviously things have not turned out like I planned. Then three years ago I applied with a ministry in Jamaica to work with them full time. After being accepted I came home to get things in order and start raising funds, that was when I fell and shattered my wrist. I spent 5 months in therapy getting use of my hand back. Shortly after that my uncle fell and broke his back and I became his full time caregiver for the next two years. Because of the situation being what it was I was able to care for him and looking back I would do it again and for the time that was my ministry.

Now here we are in 2016 and I'm feeling a little lost and asking "now what?". To update you on my current state: I spent the month of February driving around (literally) just seeking God. I spent time with friends in Florida and reconnected with some people that I had lost touch with over the years. I shared my heart and vision and my desire to work in foreign missions. I came back home to the news that my daughter is expecting her first child (a boy due in September) and my cousin that spent a good bit of her life in my home is also expecting (a girl due this month). After being home for a week I got a phone call that a friend of mine in Florida her husband was in the hospital and not doing well. I went back to Florida and ended up staying for a funeral. I came back home and started to get back in a routine of just everyday life and then I got another phone call, the friend who's husband passed away in March ask me if I could please come stay with her for a while. Once again not foreign missions but a type of ministry. I laid a fleece before the Lord, a very specific prayer, and He answered yes so I went. The original plan was that I would be there until September but as life goes things change and after 5 weeks it was time to move on.

That very same day a friend in mid Florida called me and told me about a great paying job in her area. I called to check it out and was hired immediately, it was simply the easiest job hire I've ever gotten. So I came to Merritt Island FL and started training. The job itself was good but it's one that pays by the case and not hourly. When I was hired on I was told that I would be sharing the workload with a lady that is already working here, she was not willing to share. Without giving a lot of complicated and boring details, I no longer have that job.

So where am I now? I'm still in Merritt Island. I'm staying with a friend that has 4 children (2 biological, 2 adopted from Haiti). Sadly her and her husband are in the process of getting a divorce so I'm helping with things around the house and with the kids. In a way, another form of ministry. However, I can't stay here indefinitely and honestly I don't know where that puts me. I see the news of all the chaos and terror in the world and it breaks my heart but it doesn't scare me and make me want to stay put. My heart and desire is still to go ... I can't explain it. Once again I'm on my face before the Lord asking, Where now? and if it's to go back home I need the peace in my heart to go.

I know this post has been a lot longer and different than anything I've posted before but I just wanted to share my heart with you.

En Gedi

"After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, "David is in the Desert of En Gedi."" 1Samuel 24:1

 'After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ (Acts 13:22)  Elijah and David are two men I like to study and read about in Old Testament, so visiting En Gedi was one of the most moving stops in Israel for me.

En Gedi is a park in the desert that has three natural springs spread out in it.

Lower Falls at En Gedi, where David hid in the caves with his men, and had the chance to kill Saul, but didn't.

The contrast in the area is amazing; there are rocky trails that wind through the mountains where all you can see is sand and rock then you walk around a corner and there is an oasis of green and a bubbling brook.

We didn't see much wildlife there but there was some signs of life.

While walking on the trail I was looking at the caves and I thought of David and his men walking around there, sleeping in the caves, hiding from Saul. Then we came to an area that was like a sanctuary, a waterfall hidden in the midst of the desert.

What an amazing place where God was able protect and provide for David and his men.

The Grottos / Mediterranean Sea

Waiting for the documentary to start

The Grottos is an area in Northern Israel at the Syrian boarder.

Getting on the cable car

We took a small cable car down to some caves that the Mediterranean sea flows through.

I think the contrast of the deep blue water and white rock is beautiful

There is a maze of walkways through the mountain that lead to areas where the sea has made pools.

Exploring

If you go at the right time of year and day some wild life will take refuge there. Unfortunately the day we visited there the waters were empty.

I kept a lookout for wildlife ... I was a little disappointed

The trails also led to ledges on the mountain where we could look out over the Mediterranean sea. The view was breathtaking.

What a view!

While exploring the tunnels I found an entry way that led to an area that was originally planned to be a railway to connect Lebanon and Israel. The tunnel was not completed and is now sealed. I didn't have enough time to go very far in this tunnel so I don't know the end looks like. 

Sign at the beginning of the tunnel

Meant to be a train tunnel ... how cool!!

After exploring the tunnels through the mountain side we took the cable car up to a stairway that led to the gate at the Syrian boarder. With all the unrest that is going on with Syria it was sobering to realize that we were so close to that area.

Boarder gate into Syria

Coming up next time ... En Gedi; another one of my favorite and most spiritually moving stops in Israel (right in line with Mount Carmel).

Mount Carmel

As stated in my last post, Mount Carmel was one of my favorite and most spiritually moving stops in Israel.

Looking down over Kishon Valley (1Kings 18:40)

There is a park area on top of the mountain that marks where the prophet Elijah faced the false prophets of Baal (1Kings 18:16-45).

Near the main entrance stands a monument depicting Elijah slaying one of the false prophets.

Me standing next to the monument

Church and gift shop area

The building at the front of the park has an observation area on the roof, overlooking the Kishon Valley. While there, Ron read to us the account of Elijah challenging the prophets of Baal.

The stairs leading up to the roof

The observation area on the roof

Ron reading about Elijah

This was a place where the scriptures came to life for me.

Another view of the valley

It was a hazy day

The stone is a marker for something, can't remember what. LOL

Coming up next ... The Grottos and more of the Mediterranean Sea.

The church on the mountain

Garden in front of the church

While there were many memorable places we visited in Israel, one of my favorite stops was at a church on Mt Carmel, Kehilat HaCarmel.

The front steps of the church

I love studying about the Old Testament prophet Elijah and his time on Mt Carmel. Visiting a church built where he walked was a moving moment for me.

Worship team

Every part of the church is built with a purpose. There are twelve stones around the platform that were retrieved from different regions of the country, representing the twelve tribes of Israel.

The church's ten supporting pillars symbolize the commandments. There are four windows in the ceiling, each facing the North, South, East or West. They represent the four gospels going out to the four corners of the earth.

Skylight

The skylight built over the alter serves as a reminder of the fire Elijah called down from heaven. (1 Kings 18:38)

Prayer room under the church

There is a room under the church that is dedicated to prayer. Part of the mountain that the church is built upon is exposed inside this room. It is a reminder that Jesus is our rock and prayer the foundation of our life.

This sweet lady showed us around and gave us a quick history

I wish I had taken more pictures and could remember more of the significant things that went into building this church. If you would like to see more you can check out their website by clicking here, Kehilat HaCarmel

Church sign

Coming up next time ... On top of Mt Carmel

Sharon Beach National Park

I had planned on writing about "the village by the sea" however the pictures I wanted to use are "stuck" on my kindle and I seem to be technically challenged. Don't you hate it when technology kicks your butt?

The cloud has stolen my pictures and no matter how hard I look I can't find them!

Since my pictures from Capharnaum seem to be temporarily lost in some mysterious cloud, I'm going to continue my journey in Israel from another location.

One beautiful afternoon we went walking through Sharon Beach which is right by the Mediterranean Sea.

This was my first view of the Mediterranean and I thought it was breathtaking. There are cliffs along the area we were at so we had an aerial view of the water and beaches.

The rainy season hadn't started yet so there wasn't a lot of greenery. The flowers were few and far between.

Not sure what kind of flower this is

While walking along the path I noticed some bushes that had white clusters that resembled cotton.

From a distance it's hard to see what it is

Upon closer inspection I found that the white flowers I was looking at were not any kind of flower at all. Instead of finding some sort of flower, the white "blooms" turned out to be snails. I only saw snails clustered like this by the Mediterranean.

Live snails on the bushes

My first trip to there we just walked along the cliffs so I wasn't able to get my feet wet, that would have to come at another time.

While we were walking the trail a paraglider went right by us.

Walking the trail

Watching the waves.

Coming up next: The church on the mountain ... one of my favorite stops in Israel