tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589036402149351412024-03-05T07:46:17.903-08:00Words and Images of Brooke JamesBrookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-1766160406564154282017-12-31T12:57:00.001-08:002017-12-31T12:57:40.500-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">As the New Year comes upon us, I thought I'd share the remainder of the story of Patrick's </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">life, a life renewed and changed over many years.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="white-space: pre;">(Please forgive the letters being cut off/moved to a </span></span><span style="white-space: pre;">different line. I couldn't figure out what iscausing that and or fix it). </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Part 2: At the close of the two weeks of withdrawing in his mother’s basement, Patrick’s uncle drove him to a sweat lodge where all the toxins were removed from his body. After being clean and sober for four months Patrick lied about how long he had been clean and enrolled in university for counseling sciences in order to give back to a community he had once tormented. The manager at his job encouraged him to attend school, but Patrick says he enrolled only to prove to the manager that he was dumb. However, Patrick finished at the top of his class. His first job while in school was working during the day with people with schizophrenia who also had drug and alcohol addictions. At night Patrick worked in harm reduction: talking to kids as they were high, providing a needle exchange, and making sure the kids were alive. Many of the youth were children of those he had once done drugs and committed crimes with. After graduation Patrick worked in family services. Because of Patrick’s jail record he needed a letter from the state to work around kids. After graduation he worked in family services. Then, he went back to Saskatchewan to his reserve, where he worked in many different avenues of child protection. Since starting his employment journey he has been a children protection worker, counselor, cultural facilitator, spiritual advisor in corrections, and a correctional programs officer where he helped inmates deal with their trauma. . Additionally, he established the first aboriginal healing unit for maximum security inmates, where he sang songs with the inmates, held a native ceremony, made moccasins, and led a sweat (not previously allowed in a max before). He also worked with active addicts, teaching them a sense of self, and provided employment assistance training. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdR8JNZkfLH2Tle08ceH7MBgr34ddQILk7frWVZaLhNAxIV-fNyD8KrY5M61rBgRmQgspNg54j0Je5ZOP5Olu591le7N1VJCNv9VcHgK4ERnlO7J6zqWRr-P7E4TvdWJ_eUgm5hrNipjQM/s1600/IMG_0846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdR8JNZkfLH2Tle08ceH7MBgr34ddQILk7frWVZaLhNAxIV-fNyD8KrY5M61rBgRmQgspNg54j0Je5ZOP5Olu591le7N1VJCNv9VcHgK4ERnlO7J6zqWRr-P7E4TvdWJ_eUgm5hrNipjQM/s320/IMG_0846.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Patrick loved being an aboriginal correctional officer, but was forced out because an inmate that he did time with in prison recognized him and an assistant warden didn't think ex inmates should be working in prisons. However, two officers who hated him as a kid saw his life change. In 2002 the officers called him to their station, requesting him to sign paperwork. He was worried, wondering how he could be in trouble again. But they presented him with a pardon application. Both officers wrote glowing recommendations for him to have a full pardon as they had seen him befriending and working with youth. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Patrick and one of his professors in school who worked for BC mental health teamed up together to design trauma programs. Patrick designed the cultural part, while the prof designed the mental health portion. They created best practices for aboriginal families as well as healing aboriginal communities. They also helped set up youth aboriginal treatment centers. However, Patrick’s work changed when he and his current wife decided they didn’t want him traveling out of town so frequently, as they had a blended family. Patrick then created the organization Blackhorse 361 which consists of program development, public speaking, and cultural workshops. Blackhorse 361 teaches the facilitators, who have been chosen among the community members as the community will already have a trustworthy relationship with them. "In order to connect with a group or individual you have to relate it to something they understand and are hopefully passionate about so I use metaphors to teach. I create a lesson using activities such as gardening, mechanics, or an event or hobby they have experience with.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">When I asked Patrick how he incorporates native spiritual practices into addictions counseling, he said he doesn’t phrase his interactions with people as “addictions counseling,” especially because people have preconceived notions about what that means. Patrick works with them to deal with the problems underneath, the poison and root causes of the problems. He uses simple means, such as </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">connect</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ing</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> them with animals or walking</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to a river or trail with someone as they talk and share. This keeps the body activated so the mind is less likely to overthink or filter what they are sharing. Using visualizations, he helps the adult remember the child that he was, then helps that child as an adult would so that the person feels a sense of accomplishment. This also allows the adult to differentiate what his child self did and what his adult self can do now. Patrick teaches them to write letters to past people in their lives then they burn them without sending. Patrick also encourages them not to make any big decisions until going into ceremony four times, which teaches them to think for a period of time, delayed gratification and patience.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">As our conversation neared its end, Patrick explained about the 7 sacred teachings of his tradition. They are: wisdom, respect, courage, love, humility, truth, and honesty. “Is what you did or about to do or say in accordance with these? When you get up in the morning, think about what you are going to do for your spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental health. When you go to bed at night, recognize what you did or didn’t do to honor those aspects.” Patrick commented that as humans we tend to talk twice as much as we listen “which is opposite of what the creator intended for us; he gave us two ears and one mouth so that we could listen twice as much.” An old teaching says, “you can only keep what you have by giving it away and you can only keep peace by sharing it with others. You can only keep knowledge by giving it away."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">When I inquired of Patrick about what has helped him to change after being involved in addictions and incarcerated, he said that moving away from Vancouver was necessary or he knew he’d use again. He moved to Abbotsford with his mother, where his sister also lived. Additionally, a buddy in school with him, Jackson, was part of his support system. His uncle kept him involved in traditional ceremonies, as well as involving him and empowering him to facilitate groups for offenders being released from prison. Patrick worked with their families to prepare them to know how to help their loved ones getting out. He also continued to correspond through letters with his uncle still in jail.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">As a result of seeing his mother being abused during his childhood, Patrick swore he would never hurt a woman- but he in turn became the victim as an adult. He was involved in volatile relationships and addictive behaviors during his first marriages but he himself was not physically violent. One of Patrick's eye sockets was cracked and a woman broke his nose. An ex also hit him with a telephone and injured his face.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The person Patrick identifies as his biggest support now is his wife, who herself came from a 20 year abusive relationship. She is the first person he processes with. They have “rules of engagement” for how to communicate and deal with conflict. The only emotions Patrick knew or understood as a child were anger and depression. Patrick says that he intellectualizes everything. His wife helps him understand his emotions and he helps her with the logic aspects of life and their relationship. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Patrick came from a rocky childhood and regrets many of his actions from his past. Now, he is in a stable, loving relationship with his wife, serves and loves children in foster care who are under the care of him and his wife, and is involved in teaching and learning from his community and an extensive network through Blackhorse 361. </span></div>
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Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-6215191689718822872017-11-19T11:13:00.003-08:002017-11-20T11:32:15.502-08:00It has been years since I've posted, but I'm reviving this blog to share the following story.<br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Part 1: As an 18 year Patrick van Loosen arrived at another man’s home, attacked him, and left him for dead. Four months after the attack, while Patrick awaited trial, the other man died in the hospital. While Patrick awaited trial for aggravated assault in Oakalla prison in the cow barn, a segregation unit, his charges were raised to second degree murder. Patrick plead guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 4 years in prison. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A couple of months ago I met with this man over coffee for an interview and to snap some photos of him. I was moved throughout our conversation by his life and how he has been transformed. As I sat down, he explained that the night before our meeting he had driven from Chilliwack, BC, then spent the evening in downtown Seattle, talking to people late at night, hearing their stories and photographing them if they were willing. He also gave out sandwiches. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Patrick’s interest in photography began in childhood, where he kept a box under his bed of pictures he had shot. When he wanted to feel good about life he would pull the photos out and look through them. Life growing up in East Vancouver was very tumultuous, with a violent, alcoholic stepfather and a mother who drank heavily and abused prescription drugs, while running poker games in their basement. Patrick also experienced sexual abuse at a young age. He remembers that his first experience with alcohol came as a result of his mother teaching him to bartend at age 9 so she could spend more time playing poker. What he saw the adults doing intrigued him, so occasional sips eventually turned to hiding bottles in his bedroom. He blacked out for the first time during that same time frame. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a teenager Patrick moved between hotels in Western Canada, or stayed in apartments where people could meet him to buy drugs. When he was 15 years old Patrick was involved in a large fight and suffered three broken ribs from the police officers who picked him up. Patrick escaped from the officers and was </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">found</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by a friend. He went to his sister’s home because going to the hospital would alert the police. In terrible pain, Patrick’s brother in-law gave him the only thing he had to treat it and so started Patrick’s addiction to IV drug use that lasted 15 years.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At 18 years of age Patrick lived with roommates where they hosted a drunken Christmas party. One of his roommates’ girlfriends arrived with a torn shirt and bleeding lip. She admitted to him that her foster father had been raping her since she was a child. This was the man whom Patrick attacked and whose death sent Patrick to prison, where he was held in a segregation unit 23 1/2 hours per day, slept on a steel slab, and had a 5 gallon bucket for a washroom. Oakalla was so disgusting that the landowner’s wife later shut it down after she toured the prison after her husband’s passing. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eventually Patrick was transferred to what is referred to as BC’s “Club Fed,” a medium security prison island off the coast of Victoria. In order to protect himself from other prisoners and fearing that he’d be roughed up, shortly after getting there Patrick took the offensive and smashed a man with a ketchup bottle and received 3-4 more years added to his sentence. He also began to use drugs again. Fortunately, a biological uncle whom Patrick had never met, a fellow inmate, sought Patrick out when he heard he was in prison in order to provide Patrick with some protection. After meeting his Uncle Blair, he spent most of the time with the Lifers in prison, where he learned the ropes of how to do time in prison and how to protect himself. Patrick was a quick study in prison survival and to protect himself in the case of a stabbing, he put on what is known as “prison armor,” stuffing his clothes with magazines. His uncle once said to him, “There are two ways to do time in prison: Let the time do you or you can do the time. Essentially, you can feed off the hate and rage of other inmates and end up doing a life sentence or you can learn as much as you want. If you don’t like the system, go to school.” So Patrick began his educational studies within the prison.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although Patrick requested a prison transfer, he was refused. As a result of beating up a man, Patrick was on the next plane to another prison, only 45 minutes away from his mom, who had previously been unable to visit. Patrick had received parole on two occasions but they did not last long due to his intolerance to being told what to do by parole officers. On one of his paroles Patrick was brought back to prison and charged for another murder. Patrick pled self-defense and beat the charge, as the other person had stabbed Patrick first in the liver and bowels. After seven years in prison and as his sentence drew near to ending, he considered committing another crime in order to stay locked up. The idea of being in society and not knowing how he would handle it scared him in comparison to the relatively routine life in prison. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Upon release, Patrick quickly began using drugs and selling again because, coming from the streets, chaos was comfortable. Heroin was his drug of choice, but to stay awake he often used crack, or dabbled in cocaine, uppers, or downers. During a delirious state from drugs his associates had given him, he showed up at his mom’s home and she noticed his nine millimeter and bullet proof vest as he leaned over the sink. It was only then that she truly realised just how violent life had become for him. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On January 27, 1999 at 2pm, two armed men burst through the door of his apartment, and told him he was out of business "if he knew what was good for him." Patrick chased the men out of his apartment with a gun and followed them for 4 blocks in his boxer shorts in midday. Eventually he returned home, looked at all the drugs on his table, and wondered why, after being clinically dead 10 times from various acts of violence and drug overdoses, he was still alive. At the end of that day he realized that there had to be something more he was meant for and was ready to be done. Previously when he quit using, he had moved away but kept all the things he had bought with drug money. Soon he would realize that whatever he wanted to buy was worth a weekend of drug sales, so he would go back to dealing which always ended up with him using again. Patrick admits to being too scared to kill himself although he had unsuccessfully tried a few times over the years to get the police to shoot him to death. On the day he quit he showed up at his mother’s home and she asked, “How are you going to quit?” This resulted in him heading down to his mom’s unfinished basement, where he asked his mom to lock him in, and not unlock the door no matter how much he protested. She complied. Only when he was sleeping did she bring him food. He suffered through two weeks of excruciating back spasms, convulsions, night terrors, and other withdrawal symptoms.</span></div>
Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-74068369966109419212014-07-19T23:42:00.000-07:002014-07-20T13:16:10.669-07:00Streams in the Desert and A.B. SimpsonOne of my favorite devotionals lately has been Streams in the Desert, which often quotes A.B. Simpson. Before falling asleep last night I read the following and was mightily encouraged and my spirit lifted.<br />
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July 20<br />
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"Seeing then that we have a great high priest...Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."(Heb. 4:14,16.)<br />
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OUR great Helper in prayer is the Lord Jesus Christ, our Advocate with the Father, our Great High Priest, whose chief ministry for us these centuries has been intercession and prayer. He it is who takes our imperfect petitions from our hands, cleanses then from their defects, corrects their faults, and then claims their answer from His Father on His own account and through His all-atoning merits and righteousness.<br />
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Brother, are you fainting in prayer? Look up. Your blessed Advocate has already claimed your answer, and you would grieve and disappoint Him if you were to give up the conflict in the very moment when victory is on its way to meet you. He has gone in for you into the inner chamber, and already holds up your name upon the palms of His hands; and the messenger, which is to bring you your blessing, is now on his way, and the Spirit is only waiting your trust to whisper in your heart the echo of the answer from the throne, "It is done." --- A. B. Simpson.<br />
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The Spirit has much to do with acceptable prayer, and His work in prayer is too much neglected. He enlightens the mind to see its wants, softens the heart to feel them, quickens our desires after suitable supplies, gives clear views of God's power, wisdom, and grace to relieve us, and stirs up that confidence in His truth which excludes all wavering. Prayer is, therefore, a wonderful thing. In every acceptable prayer the whole Trinity is concerned. --- J. Angell James. - Referred to "Streams in the Desert" July 20Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-13570912162890695432014-05-19T22:03:00.000-07:002017-08-16T12:46:22.687-07:00Raw and WiseReposting from <a href="http://momastery.com/blog/2013/11/07/idea-title-im-even-sure-read-nets-well-call-nets/">http://momastery.com/blog/2013/11/07/idea-title-im-even-sure-read-nets-well-call-nets/</a>:<br />
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My Tenderness Alert Level is at a Nine today. Level Ten requires my bed, but a Level Nine means that since I am close to skinless I must arrive at a blank page and write an unedited essay which will likely contain some profanity. Please, I’m sorry. It’s not me – it’s Level Nine. Whatever is said is out of my control from this point on. What IS in my control is that instead of landing inside my pantry – I came here, to <i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">write it out</i> instead of <i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">eat it out</i>. And so I’m already wildly proud of myself. For those offended by my unedited self- just imagine that this essay is a matter of life and death and that I’ve just decided to use Any Means Necessary to save myself. Because that is absolutely 100% true. Grace, please. When I use profanity- it’s because I am absolutely dedicated to honestly expressing myself and I can’t let (what would be fake) piety to get in the way of that.</div>
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Here’s what happened.</div>
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This past weekend I travelled to my alma mater, James Madison University, to talk to alumni and current students about, I don’t know- LIFE and Kindness and womanhood and things such as this. It was the first time in fifteen years that I’d been back to campus for something other than a court date. I arrived on campus with Sister, my head held high, guns blazing, TRIUMPHANT – ready to reclaim my non-existent school spirit and prove to myself and to JMU that I had actually <i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">made something of myself (whatever the hell that means)</i> – something other than the drunk, bulimic, flailing, fighting, nasty mess I was during the (many, many) years that I was there.</div>
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My head was held high for about four minutes. Then, as I walked those familiar hallways and concrete paths and passed by bathroom after bathroom (I puked in that one. And that one. That one, too.) And parking lot after parking lot (I was arrested in that one. And that one.) And passed my sorority house- (where this announcement was made at a sorority meeting by the House manager: “You guys- If you’re going to puke, at least flush the toilets. It looks really bad when people visit our house and there’s puke everywhere” and also this one, directed to me: “You guys, if you’re going to court- don’t wear your sorority letters. It looks bad for us.”) And there’s the building where I told the Women’s Studies professor that no matter what I did, I couldn’t shake my bulimia, and there’s where I told an entire team of my education professors that I was losing everything to alcohol. I TOLD people. I told people. I fucking TOLD people. (Oh, there’s the townhouse where I sat in the basement and wondered if killing myself might just be tidier for everyone. I was so tired.)</div>
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And so as I passed the shiny stadium and all the beautiful buildings and grandeur and spirit I just felt myself getting more and more confused and afraid. This place is not safe for you, Glennon. And then I got angry. Angry to the point that I had to plaster a fake smile onto my face and not answer anyone’s questions directly because I knew if I opened my mouth I’d crumble and cry. Or maybe yell. I didn’t know, I just knew it was going to be a scene. And my job there <i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">was to create a scene</i>- but it was supposed to be a scene of HOPE and TRIUMPH- not despair – but I just didn’t feel like performing all of that shit. I just wanted to say WAIT A MINUTE. STOP. EVERYOBODY JUST STOP. WHAT HAPPENED HERE? WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO ME HERE? Because I CAN FEEL the ghost of me here- and she’s wandering and lost and hurting herself and asking for help in a million different ways. Why didn’t anyone help her? I DON’T WANT TO INSPIRE YOU- I WANT TO DEFEND AND PROTECT <b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">HER.</b></div>
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And why was I sent here in the first place? I was still sick. I was really sick and this type of sickness doesn’t work itself out by a teenager girl. It just doesn’t. It gets worse. Of course it does. And so all of this is starting to feel like a bit of a set up because what the hell else was going to happen to me here?? I was young and sick and lost and addicted to food and so wasn’t it just <b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">inevitable</i></b> that I’d find the booze and the drugs and the people who would make me feel like booze and drugs and bulimia and casual sex were OK? Cool, even?</div>
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Where were the GODDAMN ADULTS? WHERE WERE THE GODDAMN HEALTHY PEOPLE? WHY DIDN’T THEY NOTICE ME?</div>
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OH MY GOD. I am angry.</div>
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I am really angry. I am just angry I just want everyone to take better care of themselves and everyone else. I just really want to us to quit worrying about CRAP like straight As and status and cool and start worrying about folks dying around us in a million different ways. I just want ignoring pain to stop being so goddamn acceptable and normal.</div>
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And you guys- all of this was crashing down around me in waves- like beating me into the concrete- and then I had to go on stage to speak to the alumni. This crowd turned out to be mostly Monkees –and so I forced myself up front and I felt the Monkee Love and I was okay. I turned back into my adult self because I was talking to adults and it was good. It was okay up there.</div>
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But then I had to speak to 600 sorority women.</div>
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I had an hour between speeches. And you guys, my heart is beating so fast as I’m typing this right now. I just COULDN’T DO IT. I could NOT get on stage in front of 600 college girls and tell them…WHAT? Tell them WHAT? That all will be well, eventually? That puking and drugging and drinking yourself into a jail cell is actually not funny or normal and here’s how to fix it<b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">….I DON’T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT</i></b>.</div>
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My sister could see that I was disappearing into myself and so she told our hosts that I needed a room of my own. That’s what we all need – thank you, Virginia. So I got my room with an hour left to go before the speech and I turned off all the lights and I curled up into a recliner until I was in the fetal position swaddled up in a soft blanket – shaking and crying. Like a freaking newborn baby. I felt like a baby. Completely powerless, utterly vulnerable, ultra- sensitive to light and sound and touch. I asked my sister to play my Ted Talk on the computer and I watched myself and listened to myself and tried to remember THAT’S YOU, TOO, GLENNON. YES, THIS LITTLE BABY GIRL CURLED UP ON THIS CHAIR IS YOU, BUT THAT WOMAN ON STAGE IS ALSO A VERSION OF YOU. YOU CAN DO THIS.</div>
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And my Sister sat outside of my door and prayed for me.</div>
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And then it was time, so I walked through the crowd of 20 year olds to the stage. And my friend, Paula, did my introduction and said things about New York Times Bestseller and blog and 100 thousand women non-profit and the Today show and I tried to mesh the woman she was describing with the mess of me in that chair. That didn’t work. But she finished her introduction and it was time.</div>
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And so IT ALL CAME TOGETHER AND I WAS AMAZING.</div>
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No, that is not what happened. That storyline is often bullshit. That is NOT how it always works. Sometimes you are not amazing. Sometimes just showing up is amazing enough.</div>
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And so I became this THIRD version of my stage self that I’ve never been before. I did not stand up on stage. I couldn’t stand because I was shaking. As a matter of fact- I couldn’t even CLIMB UP on stage because I couldn’t find the energy- so MY SISTER HAD TO LIFT ME ONTO THE STAGE. In front of 600 women. And I didn’t even care.</div>
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And when I got up there- I stayed on the floor with my knees pulled into my chest. Because that was just the best I could do. And I didn’t wear a <i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">power dress</i> or a <i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">precious top</i>. I wore a hoodie. I wore a hoodie and it was all I could do to keep the HOOD PART down and not over my head. Because a hoodie is what you wear when you feel very, very vulnerable and you have no other way to protect yourself except through your clothing. A hoodie is a way to contain your scowly self and keep people out who you rightfully or wrongly believe might hurt you. I realized all of that while I was on stage. And I was quiet up there for a solid minute while they all stared at me and I considered that all the folks who tend to wear hoodies - teens, minorities, addicts (go to an AA meeting and it’s all hoodies and Mountain Dews) are all the folks most vulnerable in our society. Then then I came back to the moment and remembered I was on stage – and I told my story without smiling much. It wasn’t a happy story. The poor crowd laughed a few times but nothing was that funny- we were just really desperate for some comic relief so we took it wherever we could.</div>
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Looking at their faces, I realized how afraid I am of folks in college. Because I can’t relate to them. I was never one of them. I wasn’t even THERE. One of them raised her hand and said “how did you deal with academic stress?” And I just stared, because: <i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">what??? </i>I was fighting for my life here. I guarantee that in the six years I was here- I never even uttered the word: <i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">academics.</i> There is a hierarchy of needs and when you can’t even feed yourself or take a deep breath- academics are not something you consider. I didn’t want my teachers to teach me. I just wanted them to HELP ME.</div>
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And with that realization- I understood that I was in front of the wrong audience.</div>
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Because these ladies were kids. They were still kids.</div>
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I needed to talk the folks in charge.</div>
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Because as I sat with my therapist yesterday and told her this story- told her about my confusion and anger about being so lost without any guidance – she said:</div>
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YES, ALL OF THAT IS TRUE. ALL OF THAT HAPPENED TO YOU, GLENNON. YOU GOT SICK REALLY YOUNG AND YOU WERE WELL LOVED BUT THERE WAS NEVER A PLAN FOR YOU TO GET BETTER. SO YOU GOT SICKER AND SICKER WHILE FOLKS STOOD LOVINGLY BUT HELPLESSLY BY. YOU HAD A LOT OF LOVE BUT NO PLAN FROM THE EXPERTS. ALL OF THAT IS A TRUE NARRATIVE. BUT AT THIS POINT- IT IS NOT THE MOST HELPFUL NARRATIVE FOR YOU.</div>
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LET’S WRITE ANOTHER ONE, GLENNON.</div>
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Okay, I said.</div>
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WHAT DID YOU GAIN THERE? WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM YOUR COLLEGE EXERIENCE?</div>
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I don’t know. I got some friends. A degree.</div>
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YES. WHAT ELSE?</div>
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I learned that people need help. And the people who need the most help are the ones too lost to ask for it.</div>
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YES. GLENNON. YOU LEARNED THE IMPORTANCE OF A NET.</div>
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What?</div>
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PEOPLE NEED A NET. SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, NEIGHBORHOODS – EVERY INSTITUTION NEEDS NETS. NETS ARE GROUPS OF PEOPLE WHO WATCH OUT CLOSELY FOR EACH OTHER. WHO NOTICE WHEN SOMEONE NEEDS HELP. WHO HAVE THE SKILLS TO REALLY HELP WHEN REAL HELP IS NEEDED.</div>
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Yes.</div>
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YES. YOUR LIFE HAS TAUGHT YOU THAT NETS ARE NEEDED, AND THAT IN THIS COUNTRY WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH OF THEM. AND THAT EVEN IN FAMILIES WHERE THERE IS A LOT OF LOVE, THERE STILL NEEDS TO BE A NET.</div>
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Yes. Yes. That’s why I loved the mental hospital. And my third grade classroom. And it’s why I love my my Sunday school class now. Because those places are Nothing But Net.</div>
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GLENNON, THAT’S YOUR LIFE’S WORK. YOU ARE CREATING A NET.</div>
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And then- from me- Tears and Silence and <i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Holy shit</i>. Yes. Momastery is a net. Monkee See – Monkee Do is a net. I spent the first half of my life desperately needing one and that’s why I’m spending the second half of my life desperately building one.</div>
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YES.</div>
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Well. That’s a helpful freaking narrative.</div>
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YES. GLENNON. IT’S REALLY HELPFUL. IT’S A REALLY BEAUTIFUL NARRATIVE.</div>
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It’s a brutiful narrative. There always has to be so much brutal to get the beautiful. It’s just exhausting.</div>
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YES IT IS. YES IT IS.</div>
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I have to go. I gotta go and put this week behind me. But you guys. WE HAVE TO CREATE NETS. In our schools and neighborhoods and our churches. The teachers need to teach and parents are overwhelmed and can’t do it alone. We need to recruit people – MONKEEISH PEOPLE – who will “overlook” particular groups of kids throughout the years and follow them and study them and meet to talk about what they need. We need to create nets because the NETS ARE MISSING. We can’t go around saying it takes a village- we have to BUILD THE DAMN VILLAGE.</div>
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Online is not enough. It’s just a great place to start.</div>
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I love you.</div>
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G (little g and BIG G- together.)</div>
<img src="http://www.momastery.com/i/blog-signature.jpg" style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> - See more at: http://momastery.com/blog/2013/11/07/idea-title-im-even-sure-read-nets-well-call-nets/#sthash.dcCo4yJ3.dpuf</span>Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-77863614292063163352014-05-05T21:53:00.001-07:002014-05-05T21:53:35.337-07:00On One Year and New National Traditions- from Momastery<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Reposting from Momastery:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sometimes it feels to me like our national tradition in the face of tragedy is to sit around and watch people be interviewed and feel sad and helpless. <span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">We are not helpless, and sitting and feeling is not compassion. [Emphasis mine: <b>Compassion is not <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">your pain in my heart- </em>that’s pity<em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">. </em>Compassion is <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">your pain in my heart and back out </em></b></span><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b>through my hands.</b></em><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b> </b>Let us – today- turn off the TV and use our pain to make some real living breathing peace in our own hearts, and then in our families and then in our communities. We should honor those lost by </span><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">working</em><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">. If we want Love Wins to be true, we must do the hard, holy work of making it so. </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> See more at: </span></span><a href="ttp://momastery.com/blog/page/20/#sthash.g2FX45KW.dpuf%C2%A0" style="background-color: transparent;">Momastery.com</a></div>
Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-59682908650465598682014-03-29T15:22:00.001-07:002014-03-29T15:22:09.844-07:00A friend and I decided to take a walk a few weeks ago and take some pictures, in the hopes of practicing and improving our photography. She suggested we do what a friend of hers had done- take pictures that reflect hope and photograph other pictures that depict despair. Here's a sampling of my photos:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQ5nq8Py0Nb_w5CZaMWzN6tcxDTzysotei_6EMEUFa_gu3r-QTQfEuAggopI8wk2LEFdXwHFKPGSQB9rKZHR6GgdMtDwR3BH5jXBdzEooScqi6XuZiCgr1AXfCGajtzMkzC0drsU8cewp/s1600/IMG_0766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQ5nq8Py0Nb_w5CZaMWzN6tcxDTzysotei_6EMEUFa_gu3r-QTQfEuAggopI8wk2LEFdXwHFKPGSQB9rKZHR6GgdMtDwR3BH5jXBdzEooScqi6XuZiCgr1AXfCGajtzMkzC0drsU8cewp/s1600/IMG_0766.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWW2sRSMCjHZNWdD5v-kZrFrMpEyXCrhWuRMt_Z45DJoq6_vE-Y6LiJD8mvLdxHbuS0eMoisFZ6ou_cmmpx73RMX3z7FNkwXGOj5OxH4w3CwsCgUD0R4ryZZBsi2XANyhaeHUBHqk4eam/s1600/IMG_0813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWW2sRSMCjHZNWdD5v-kZrFrMpEyXCrhWuRMt_Z45DJoq6_vE-Y6LiJD8mvLdxHbuS0eMoisFZ6ou_cmmpx73RMX3z7FNkwXGOj5OxH4w3CwsCgUD0R4ryZZBsi2XANyhaeHUBHqk4eam/s1600/IMG_0813.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-FKa2E4twHsHxLx8RaczHyH1TK9wds37NMS5SH4C4JJoHjuk7P9OAPb0SD-NJOnbQq_l6XjMax_YB-t9_BpTLTKwT9RcFh-tP9WinXIYM97x5poWwgRRcsEZgFgADG246fU-sqYA_RZaU/s1600/IMG_0820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-FKa2E4twHsHxLx8RaczHyH1TK9wds37NMS5SH4C4JJoHjuk7P9OAPb0SD-NJOnbQq_l6XjMax_YB-t9_BpTLTKwT9RcFh-tP9WinXIYM97x5poWwgRRcsEZgFgADG246fU-sqYA_RZaU/s1600/IMG_0820.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCegDfwykR5Ab4xgXbbmU1oYbtvk3dHkeYeIcvzS55wJZeRx8y5bIUi46hFUXq2BKwV1DeyOpUdXHB20F3thD3GYa0Y0ZIVezerwQJTFY5gbaWB8BSkJBEBueMbO63rAtLQIrhyYotvJdl/s1600/IMG_0856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCegDfwykR5Ab4xgXbbmU1oYbtvk3dHkeYeIcvzS55wJZeRx8y5bIUi46hFUXq2BKwV1DeyOpUdXHB20F3thD3GYa0Y0ZIVezerwQJTFY5gbaWB8BSkJBEBueMbO63rAtLQIrhyYotvJdl/s1600/IMG_0856.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
I actually didn't find a lot of scenes that caused me to despair, but here are two that I think will qualify:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWYqtro-UzxePB_kqjmq_ZHwLeTiDfdrCNgZwq_QfQjDjrHwohxcg5AlexVMi6iYCnmWUkqRKJPFQvqnc4VKBDpdDecLm-lTxVLJqTAFNuYlftRTRqWuDwLi90zatEW2Cfbr1FOjio2DdD/s1600/IMG_0778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWYqtro-UzxePB_kqjmq_ZHwLeTiDfdrCNgZwq_QfQjDjrHwohxcg5AlexVMi6iYCnmWUkqRKJPFQvqnc4VKBDpdDecLm-lTxVLJqTAFNuYlftRTRqWuDwLi90zatEW2Cfbr1FOjio2DdD/s1600/IMG_0778.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJjgZSZppSK4azvP9urC3z7X_-Vyfeb0ImlKFIQiUpZc1CIFc6Fm0LTEmmk_hnhSjdXCQ9-6llNLGvJ1tVqh4rQyKBtHFG9q06Wfje1FNxnuVhhq14xqIutEriE1lJN4KR41zqV-i8Nwr/s1600/IMG_0785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJjgZSZppSK4azvP9urC3z7X_-Vyfeb0ImlKFIQiUpZc1CIFc6Fm0LTEmmk_hnhSjdXCQ9-6llNLGvJ1tVqh4rQyKBtHFG9q06Wfje1FNxnuVhhq14xqIutEriE1lJN4KR41zqV-i8Nwr/s1600/IMG_0785.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-76672945400528225862013-07-07T20:16:00.001-07:002013-07-07T20:16:07.163-07:00You Know Me<strike>Majorly</strike> Slightly obsessed with this song....and Steffany's music. Trying to catch up on writing, so hopefully I'll have more on here soon..<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/cVVlMQved8k" width="560"></iframe>Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-39582274576544326542013-02-13T23:43:00.002-08:002014-05-05T21:48:55.879-07:00Pray for...Old, but great news: I was in Haiti a few weeks ago for a three week visit. LOVE!<br />
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When I lived in Haiti last year I held a weekly bible study for about 7-10 young girls, ages 9-15 years old. Most of them live in the nearby tent city. Two live in a neighborhood nearby but often hang out with their friends in the tent city, and one lives in Child Hope's girls home. I had the absolute pleasure of meeting with them again this trip. Although they often clam up when it comes time to share their thoughts, they love passing the bible around and reading scripture, as well as singing in little groups in front of the bigger group. Last year I wanted them to demonstrate how to be kind and loving to each other, so we roll played. It seemed this was the first time they had ever done this so it took some creative explanation to get them to understand. They loved roll playing how to verbally fight and beat each other up, but it was much harder for them to demonstrate how to love each other and be friends. (A side-note...just like when I was growing up, the girls here are cliquey and usually arrived to bible studying confessing that they were "not friends with" so and so, or so and so "does not want to be my friend." Most of the time I was so confused about who was friends or not friends with whom).<br />
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Tonight I was looking through my journal and reading through the prayer requests they shared. Join me, please, in praying for each of them and reading about how precious they are, as well as what they face in life. Many of their prayers are so big (We have a Big God) and very different from what many other children in the world may pray for.<br />
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L: not to fight, hit, or say bad words<br />
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D: to go to school. Her sister-in-law wants/needs her to watch her nephew so she cannot attend school. (This girl is only 10 years old and her nephew is an infant!)<br />
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G: for it to rain so her family and friends can find water to wash their clothes, her dad doesn't want her to go to worship on Saturdays (with the kids and staff of Child Hope)- pray that he will let her go.<br />
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K: Her mom to become a Christian, no more cockroaches in the girls' home<br />
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T: pass her exams, her mom to get married, and her mom to be healed of an illness<br />
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V: be intelligent in school, her mom to have the time to go to church<br />
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E: pray for her mom and papa (but she wasn't sure why we should pray. God knows)<br />
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L #2: to pass her exams in school; healing for a little boy at the feeding program who is blind in one eye (recently his brother accidentally gouged his eye out. The brother is now in jail, even though it was an accident. This sweet boy walks around the feeding program with a hat covering half of his face.)<br />
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J: pray for her health. She has been sick a lot in her heart and lungs<br />
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<br />Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-68455341207703042082013-02-12T22:06:00.001-08:002017-08-16T12:51:58.054-07:00Blog Crushes<div style="text-align: center;">
I<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> was majorly into reading blogs tonight. Here are two I was crushing on. I </span><span style="font-family: times, 'times new roman', serif;">really want to be dangerous in the way this suggest. The thought of that makes my heart want to bust out of my chest and my feet point towards the door.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">http://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2005/october/16176.html</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'm not sure I've ever read a more raw, thoughtful piece on someone's perceptions and struggles about Haiti and Jesus:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">http://sarahbessey.com/in-which-god-doesnt-look-the-same-anymore/</span></div>
</span>Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-66644141151300576322012-12-29T22:22:00.000-08:002012-12-29T22:22:24.897-08:00SugaringHave any of you brave, crafty, or "I hate hair" people out there tried sugaring? A friend in my small group raved about it, so my roommate and I courageously prepared it and tried it. Here's a tidbit of our conversation as we endured the pain: "This makes me want to swear!" ~Mari. "Go right ahead." ~Brooke.<br />
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For those who might be wondering if this a sport, a method of medicating, or a way to get in touch with God, look at this website, our resource for this (new to me) treatment: <a href="http://hairremoval.about.com/od/sugarwaxing/ss/sugar-hair-removal-recipe.htm">http://hairremoval.about.com/od/sugarwaxing/ss/sugar-hair-removal-recipe.htm</a><br />
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I sure hope the lady in the picture is not doing to this to her lips. Weird if there was a need to do that there....hmmm....<br />
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Only a small patch worked for each of us. I have my thoughts about why. We do know that for some reason the mixture didn't get hard enough. Youtube videos of the process helped us figure that out. And the videos made it look pretty much pain-free (and our friend claimed that too. She has yet to answer our emails with questions). We haven't given up hope yet, though. We and our hair will not admit defeat. A tupperware of the sugar mixture awaits in our fridge for the day we have the chutzpah and skill to endure it again.Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-7561868594522676172012-12-05T18:47:00.000-08:002012-12-05T18:47:51.195-08:00Savor the Season Silent Stroll<div style="text-align: center;">
I know, its been awhile....Since I do live in Seattle, I probably should post something about it here. Fall is my favorite season here. I recently realized I have not been here for a full fall season in 4 years.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Back on Veterans Day, my creative roommate planned a walk at Discovery Park, which is, according to its website: "</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">a 534 acre natural area park operated by the Seattle Parks and Recreation. It is the largest city park in Seattle, and occupies most of the former Fort Lawton site. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The site is one of breathtaking majesty. Situated on Magnolia Bluff overlooking Puget Sound, Discovery Park offers spectacular views of both the Cascade and the Olympic Mountain ranges. The secluded site includes two miles of protected tidal beaches as well as open meadow lands, dramatic sea cliffs, forest groves, active sand dunes, thickets and streams."</span></div>
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We were instructed not to talk while we were walking, to just absorb nature, to reflect on it and pay attention to its characteristics that we might not otherwise notice if we were engaged in conversation. It was relaxing and really did cause me to take notice of God's beauty surrounding me.</div>
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Such crazy cool trees in that park</div>
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*All photos taken with my phoneBrookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-91783063672049347992012-08-20T14:13:00.000-07:002012-08-20T14:17:57.362-07:00Read with me<u>For Love's Sake: One young woman's trek with the world's poor and your open door to a life of experiential love,</u> by Jessica Davis<br />
(this woman works with or has worked for (I'm not sure if she still does because I haven't read for enough in the book to know for sure) Rolland and Heidi Baker, who started <a href="http://www.irismin.org/">Iris Ministries</a>, in Mozambique.)<br />
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"This journey is for the hungry because it is about the hungry. It is about what can happen when the hungry go after that which their soul longs for. Two things can happen to a hungry man- he can starve or he can eat. This, too, is our choice. A place where hunger is married to fullness is where we can now reside."<br />
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What does your soul long for? What or Who are you passionate about? Tell me please. Share with me your experiences, readers.<br />
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<br />Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-35685461411970591312012-08-16T22:45:00.002-07:002012-08-16T22:45:37.330-07:00Great Exploits<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Maybe this is why I am always looking for adventure, for more, for something I can't quite put my finger on. More of Him in me, to not be satisfied with the "normal," to do and be more. I don't recall reading this verse ever before, but I am loving it:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Daniel 11:32b- "But the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out <i>great exploits."</i></span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></i>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is my prayer for today. Dream, people. Dream big, because He says He will do more than we can ask or imagine. What exploits does God want to carry out through <i>you</i>? </span>Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-11281422297781659702012-07-18T21:22:00.002-07:002012-07-30T13:34:04.322-07:00Haiti and RadicalI just left Haiti last week. And yesterday I decided to start reading <u>Radical</u> by David Platt (so now I start missing Haiti and forgetting all the reasons I thought I was supposed to leave). And tonight I read this post from Anne Voskamp, reflecting on her trip to Haiti: http://www.aholyexperience.com/2012/07/the-1-thing-you-really-have-to-know-about-your-family/<br />
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Excuse me while I go have an ugly cry then pray, "What do I do with these? What do You want me to do, Lord? Show me my mission field <i>here</i>, Lord."<br />
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Best Quotes from the blog post:<br />
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<table class="" id="content-wrap" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; background-attachment: scroll; background-color: #f6f4e9; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><tbody style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<tr style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td id="content" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; width: 698px;"><div class="post-11316 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-bw category-compassion category-eucharistic-living category-haiti category-poverty self-clear last-post" id="post-11316" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<div class="entry-content self-clear" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 60px; margin-right: 60px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #171212; font-family: Bookman, Palatino, Georgia, serif; font-size: 15.5px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
She puts a grass woven hat on my head and all I can think of is Job saying “<a href="http://bible.cc/job/29-14.htm" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #36757d; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">justice was my robe and turban” (Job 29:14</a>). <strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In the family of Christ, we <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">wear </em>justice for the poor. In the Body of Christ, our lives should be <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">clothed in caring </em>like our bodies are <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">covered in clothing</em>.</strong></div>
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171212; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><table class="" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; background-attachment: scroll; background-color: #f6f4e9; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><tbody style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<tr style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td id="content" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; width: 698px;"><div class="post-11316 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-bw category-compassion category-eucharistic-living category-haiti category-poverty self-clear last-post" id="post-11316" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="post-wrap self-clear content-bg" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="post-wrap-inner" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="entry-content self-clear" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 60px; margin-right: 60px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #171212; font-family: Bookman, Palatino, Georgia, serif; font-size: 15.5px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You can turn a blind eye to the poor all you want but it could have turned out that you were the poor.</strong></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<table class="" id="content-wrap" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; background-attachment: scroll; background-color: #f6f4e9; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #171212; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><tbody style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<tr style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td id="content" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; width: 698px;"><div class="post-11316 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-bw category-compassion category-eucharistic-living category-haiti category-poverty self-clear last-post" id="post-11316" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="post-wrap self-clear content-bg" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="post-wrap-inner" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="entry-content self-clear" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 60px; margin-right: 60px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #171212; display: inline !important; font-family: Bookman, Palatino, Georgia, serif; font-size: 15.5px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /> You don’t stay in the palace if you want anybody to find <br /> deliverance</strong> – <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">especially yourself.</em></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171212; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"></span><br />
<table class="" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; background-attachment: scroll; background-color: #f6f4e9; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171212; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171212; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"></span><br />
<table class="" id="content-wrap" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; background-attachment: scroll; background-color: #f6f4e9; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><tbody style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<tr style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td id="content" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; width: 698px;"><div class="post-11316 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-bw category-compassion category-eucharistic-living category-haiti category-poverty self-clear last-post" id="post-11316" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="post-wrap self-clear content-bg" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="post-wrap-inner" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="entry-content self-clear" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 60px; margin-right: 60px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #171212; font-family: Bookman, Palatino, Georgia, serif; font-size: 15.5px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Are we entangled in Christ and loving His family or are we entangled in culture and its pressures to have all of its stuff?</em></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171212; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171212; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><table class="" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; background-attachment: scroll; background-color: #f6f4e9; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></table>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171212;"><table class="" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; background-attachment: scroll; background-color: #f6f4e9; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><tbody style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<tr style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td id="content" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; width: 698px;"><div class="post-11316 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-bw category-compassion category-eucharistic-living category-haiti category-poverty self-clear last-post" id="post-11316" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="post-wrap self-clear content-bg" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-position: 0% 0%; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="post-wrap-inner" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="entry-content self-clear" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 60px; margin-right: 60px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #171212; display: inline !important; font-family: Bookman, Palatino, Georgia, serif; font-size: 15.5px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You don’t forget who your brother is — when you know Who your Father <br /> is.</strong></div>
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</span>Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-21794362465220964442012-07-16T07:33:00.001-07:002012-07-30T13:30:19.062-07:00Linking you to "A House Call in Haiti"http://www.pjstar.com/haiti_ugc_blog/x23411756/A-House-Call-in-Haiti<br />
<br />Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-28969801760797994582012-07-05T11:19:00.001-07:002012-07-05T11:20:47.282-07:00Sweets!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">I've never been much of a baker. Let's just be honest, I'll eat chocolate or sweets any day of the week, I just never cared to make that stuff myself. But since moving in with Jocie and watching and helping her cook delectable treats and dinners (tea, as these Aussie's call it), I've decided I must be able to make these things on my own for when I leave here and because it is actually</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><i>fun</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">. So, in addition to making different meals I've now made four different</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><i>homemade </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">cakes and I'm loving it. </span></div>
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Apple cake for Chabine's birthday</div>
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Banana upside-down cake for one of John and Jocie's dinner guests. Jocie found a Haitian cookbook at a bookstore/coffee shop (eat your heart out, Barnes and Noble) that we've been using. But no pics. Whoops.</div>
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Coconut cake with custard filling and meringue frosting to welcome our new interns (also from the Haitian cookbook). Whoops again...no pictures.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55kxsz0RNwO-AruWaN1RDcMcDJMIGKdYJguOy0TIQEZReywhvGknKXvKtnaXKp6VQNjDU8fu6QbseeDQDYBY8_Or0tvTpihnIoi7u0ym-CguqYq2CjkaoifkgxV2IVlBRHJVuFC2m7NYM/s1600/IMG_8211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55kxsz0RNwO-AruWaN1RDcMcDJMIGKdYJguOy0TIQEZReywhvGknKXvKtnaXKp6VQNjDU8fu6QbseeDQDYBY8_Or0tvTpihnIoi7u0ym-CguqYq2CjkaoifkgxV2IVlBRHJVuFC2m7NYM/s320/IMG_8211.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hot fudge cake for my bible study girls</div>
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Let me know if ya'll have any that I should try out...especially when I get back to Washington next week and need a reason for people to want to catch up (oh, p.s. I am moving back there- one day I'll post about that).</div>
</div>Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-77496118041229016122012-06-11T08:50:00.000-07:002012-07-16T07:33:53.889-07:00Junior<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We're doing a fundraiser to help one of our kids to continue attending an English-speaking school. This includes raising money for this month, June 2012, through next June 2013. See below for details and a link.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Junior is a seventeen-year-old young man with a heart of gold. Most who have had the privilege of meeting him know within a few minutes that God has placed a special calling on his life. His heart for the Lord inspires both his peers and the spiritually mature. Many of the kids nicknamed him "Pastor Junior" because of his dedication and diligence to studying and preaching God's Word. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Although it is difficult to imagine, Junior used to beg on the streets of Delmas Blvd. in Port-au-Prince with many other young kids. He was ushered from the streets into living in the MDL Boys' Home through a friend’s street ministry. Shortly after coming into the safely of MDL, his mother was murdered in Cite Soleil and then his father later passed away in the countryside. Today, Junior, this once timid child, boldly preaches the Gospel, having put his faith and hope in Christ more than four years ago. He often teaches at devotionals and even partnered with other children from MDL two summers ago in doing an evangelistic outreach for their extended family members and community in the village where they grew up. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Junior has long expressed his hope of becoming an evangelist. Ranch Church in Santa Ynez, California has expressed a desire to come alongside Junior’s calling and financially support him at Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta, California. Needing an American high-school equivalent education to apply, Junior is currently enrolled in an American school in Haiti called Morning Star Christian Academy. We are praying that more people would come alongside to support his tuition fees until he finishes in 2014. To help Junior to continue to prepare for the work God is calling him to do we need to raise $475.00 a month for tuition and lunch money. Please prayerfully consider whether you would like to become involved in helping Junior by committing to financially sponsor him for half a month's tuition, one month, or multiple months of school. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Please pray for Junior, that he would continue to thrive in every aspect of his life, and that he'd keep Christ at the center of everything he does. If you'd like to sponsor school for Junior, please click <a href="http://www.childhope.org/work/education/juniors_school.html">here</a> and scroll to the bottom of the page for payment options. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"> Mesi Anpil! </span></div>Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-25879078688496191052012-05-19T10:18:00.005-07:002012-05-19T10:21:37.074-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">There is a lovely woman who lives near our ministry named named Dieula (it means "God is here" in Creole). This year she began working for John and Jocie, the couple with whom I live. Every morning that she works, when I leave the house, she sweetly calls out, "Bonjou Dokte (Good morning Doctor) Brooke! Bonjou Dokte! Mesi Dokte!" I've had the conversation with her, repeatedly, where I explain that I am, contrary to her high opinion of me, not a doctor. I am a nurse. Being called a doctor scares me, to tell you the truth. This carries with it too many expectations of my ability and skill level. Unfortunately, sometimes in the Third World, lay people can sometimes be mistaken for medical professionals and are fine with letting that assumption prevail and trying out their "skills" on unsuspecting patients. You're a white missionary? Now those in your community treat you like you are a nurse, doctor, pastor, banker, and soup kitchen, all rolled into a neat package. John and Jocie find it exceptionally funny that Dieula insists on calling me a dokte. She used to give Ashley, my nurse co-worker at Child Hope (she moved back to the states last month- boo :( ), the same title. Last week, Asher, my friend Brittany's two year old son, stuck his tongue out at me when I greeted him "Good Morning". John scolded him, saying, "Asher, that's not how you should treat Brooke. She's a doctor, you know? She can cut that tongue out if you keep doing that." Fortunately Asher has not remembered that comment and does not run from "the dokte" when he sees her. John, Jocie, their daughter Kelly, who was visiting from Australia, and I were discussing my new title one night. Kelly is a social worker in Aussie land, where she works with refugees. For some reason the clients she works with sometimes refer to her as "Officer Kelly." I'm sure this is one of those incidences where You Had to Be There, because we thought this was hysterically funny. Here John revealed that he has told Dieula that I am a surgeon. Makes sense why I could cut off Asher's tongue then. Next I shall be performing surgery on someone's brain, probably in our kitchen. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Here is Dieula on her birthday. She dressed up very fancy to come to work that day. Jocie took some pictures of her with my camera. She came back the next day, dressed up again, to take more pictures with Brittany, Jocie, Susette, and I. I don't have those pictures yet because they are on Jocie's camera. So many Haitians LOVE to pose- not just smile- but POSE for the camera. Dieula ran and grabbed an apple for these shots. </span></div>
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</div>Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-14663789956498170622012-05-13T20:12:00.000-07:002012-05-13T20:12:07.180-07:00A Few Recent Pics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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All of the above are children from our feeding program for children in the community, held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays</div>
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The quality is terrible on this last one (its from a phone) but here is how we spent Good Friday- praying on a hillside with the kids. </div>Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-36252257812756288892012-05-05T17:20:00.002-07:002012-05-05T17:20:31.610-07:00The Heart of the Father for His Children: An Incredible Love and PursuitI read this story out of the book <u>Enjoying God</u> (and promptly burst into tears):<br />
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During the Korean war, a pastor in a small rural village awoke one morning to find that his young son, his only child, had been killed. Apparently some soldiers had slipped in during the night and randomly excited a number of villagers in a brutal act of terrorism.<br />
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The pastor was beside himself with grief. He had looked forward to his son someday following in his footsteps and becoming a pastor. Now his friends feared for his emotional stability, so severe was the grief he experienced over the boy's senseless death. It seemed so cruel, so unjust. His son was not in the army; he posed no threat to anyone. Why should he have been singled out like this?<br />
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Finally the Korean pastor decided what he must do in return for this act of violence. He announced that he would hunt down the men who had killed his son and would not give up until he had found them. No obstacle would stand in his way, no hardship would deter him. This grief-stricken father resolved to do whatever it took.<br />
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Amazingly, he was able to learn the identities of the two terrorists, slip behind enemy lines, and find out where they lived. One early morning he stole into their house and confronted them. The pastor told them who he was, and that he knew they had murdered his son. "You owe me a debt," he said to them. "I have come to collect it."<br />
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The two men were obviously expecting to be killed in retaliation. But the pastor's next words astonished them. "You have taken my son," he said, "and now I want you to become my sons in his place."<br />
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The pastor stayed with them for several days, until he was able to persuade them to come with him. In time he adopted them as his legal sons. He loved them and cared for them. They became Christians, went to seminary, and were ordained. Today, these two men are pastors in Korea- all because a father who was willing to do whatever it took to win them, whose love was utterly unstoppable.Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-39415938772556772952012-03-09T10:08:00.001-08:002012-03-09T10:08:34.141-08:00Right now I'm spending a lovely couple of weeks with my friends and family in Washington and getting to play auntie to my gorgeous niece and nephew, as well as one of my best friends' kids. She had her second baby, Juliet, just a few weeks ago.<br />
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Before coming back here I moved in with our church's new pastor, John, and his wife, Jocie. They are from Australia, hilarious, kind, wise, and also my friend Brittany's parents-in-law. A great perk to living here: Brittany and her family, as well as my nurse friend, Ashley, all live next door to us. John and Jocie have begun ministering to a couple of boys from a tent city in a really beautiful way. A couple of days a week the boys come over to their house and they work a bit around the house (teaching them a skill that they can use in future years and giving them dignity, as well), then John and Jocie provide a meal for them while they all talk. Then, they play soccer, basketball, or other games with the boys. The love, guidance, prayers, and wisdom they are giving these boys is very beautiful to watch.<br />
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A few Sundays ago, after church, we found that one of the boys, Dupren, was throwing up in the bathroom. We were also told by another boy, Edly, that Dupren's bike had been stolen at church. Jocie and I talked to Edly and a third boy (I don't recall his name) who had witnessed the bike-steaing incident. This third boy knew where to find the kid who stole the bike. Jocie fetched a nice English and Creole-speaking man from church who could help us and we loaded up the kids in her car. Pastor John had a church meeting to attend to, so he wasn't able to assist. I looked at Jocie and asked, "Is it wrong that I am excited about going to find this bike?" "Oh no, I am just as excited as you!" This was our first adventure as Nancy Drew wanna-be's.<br />
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The third kid took us to the thief's neighborhood, then some of us walked the rest of the way in. Jocie stayed behind with her car and a few of her friends who were passengers in the car, but I was instructed to remember every detail of the encounter. When we approached the suspect's house, we all saw the bike "hidden" behind some cardboard. Our Haitian translator/muscle spoke with the kid's father, who said he had suspected something amiss when the kid brought it home, saying he found it in the trash. I chewed out the kid a bit when he told me that he just found it at church, thinking no one wanted it (Dupren didn't have a way to lock it up). "Do you take everything you just see you want?" We left, with the bike, with no struggle or arguments. When we returned to the Meadth's house, Jocie and I told John we will be opening our own detective agency. Apparently I need to watch the show or read the books <u>The Number One Ladies' Detective Agency</u>. Let me know if you live in Haiti, preferably the Delmas area of Port au Prince, and need some crafty, smart detectives to solve your crimes. All this adventure and more, you'll find in Haiti, people.<br />
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<br />Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-36964237474310244452012-02-03T07:35:00.000-08:002012-02-03T07:35:30.496-08:00A Scandalous GodTo be honest, I've never spent much time thinking about war. I've never had an opinion one way or the other. My brain has never engaged in much thought about how it affects those living daily amongst bombings, battles, and death. Until now. I'm still devouring Shane Claiborne's <u>Irresistible Revolution</u>. See my last <a href="http://brookejames.blogspot.com/2012/01/convicted.html">post</a>. I'm not going to comment on what he wrote. Read it for yourself. I pray you are as affected by these words as I was.<br />
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"....and I headed to Iraq, where I ended up living through the most beautiful and horrible month of my life. I was there during the bombing of Baghdad, visiting homes, hospitals, and families- and going to worship services with the hunders of Iraqi Christians there. Essentially, I went to Iraq because I believe in a God of scandalous grace. I have pledged allegiance to a King who loved evildoers so much he died for them, teaching us that there is something worth dying for but nothing worth killing for. I went to Iraq in the footsteps of an executed and risen God. The Jesus of the margins suffered an imperial execution by an oppressive regime of wealthy and pious elites. And now he dares me and woos me to come and follow, to take up my cross, to lose my life to find it, with the promises that life is more powerful than death and that it is more courageous to love our enemies than to kill them. May we stand by those who face the impending wrath of the empire and whisper, "God loves you, I love you, and if my country bombs your country, I will be right here with you.<br />
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One of the things that became painfully clear to me in Iraq is that what's at stake today is the reputation not just of America but of Christianity, and that's what keeps me up at night. I heard people in Iraq call leaders in the US "Christian extremists," just as leaders here speak of "Muslim extremists." Everyone is declaring war in the name of God and asking for God's blessing. One beautiful Iraqi mother threw her hands in the air and said, "Your country is declaring war in the name of God and asking God's blessing, and that is the same thing my country is doing. What kind of God is this? What has happened to the God of love, to the Prince of Peace?<br />
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Revolutionary subordination exposes the evils of power and violence without mirroring them, by gently allowing them to destroy themselves and then rising above the ruins. This approach, of course, is exemplified by Jesus, who was led like "a lamb to slaughter"; it was with revolutionary subordination that Jesus "disarmed the powers and authorities" and made a "public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross" (Col 2:15). His was a humble redemptive suffering that flew in the face of the arrogant myth of redemptive violence.<br />
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We know all too well that we have a God who shows mercy on evildoers, for if he didn't, we'd all be in big trouble, and for that, this evildoer is very glad.<br />
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As we drove into the town, were were deeply disturbed to see that it was devastated by bombing. Before we could get out of the car, doctors greeted us, and the town began to gather. When they learned that several of us were from the US, the head doctor asked loudly, "Why this? Why? Why is your government doing this?" With tears in his eyes, he explained that only a couple of days earlier, one of the bombs had hit the hospital, the children's ward. So they could not take us to the hospital. He added with a dignified smile, "But you are our brothers, and we will take care of you. We take care of everyone- Christian, Muslim, Iraqi, American...it doesn't matter. We are all human beings. We are all sisters and brothers." And they set up a little clinic with four beds and saved my friend's life, apologizing for the scarcity of supplies due to the sanctions. The townspeople began to bring blankets and water...they smiled and invited us to live in Rutba. We offered the doctors money, but they insisted that they were caring for us as family. They did have one request: "Tell the world about Rutba." And we have."<br />
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Rather than separating ourselves from everyone we consider impure, maybe we are better off just beating our chests and praying that God would be merciful enough to save us from this present ugliness and to make our lives so beautiful that people cannot resist that mercy.Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-10619105738301027932012-01-25T14:22:00.000-08:002012-01-25T14:22:40.839-08:00ConvictedFrom Shane Claiborne's <u>Irresistible Revolution:</u><br />
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"When we get to heaven, we will be separated into those sheep and goats Jesus talks about in Matthew 25 based on how we cared for the least among us. I'm just not convinced that Jesus is going to say 'When I was hungry, you gave a check to the United Way and they fed me', or, 'When I was naked, you donated clothes to the Salvation Army and they clothed me.' Jesus is not seeking distant acts of charity. He seeks concrete acts of love: "you fed me...you visited me in prison...you welcomed me into your home...you clothed me."<br />
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"It is much more comfortable to depersonalize the poor so we don't feel responsible for the catastrophic human failure that results in someone sleeping on the street while people have spare bedrooms in their homes."<br />
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"And Jesus did not set up a program but modeled a way of living that incarnated the reign of God, a community in which people are reconciled and our debts are forgiven just as we forgive our debtors (all economic words). That reign did not spread through organizational establishments or structural systems. It spread like disease- through touch, through breath, through life. It spread through people infected by love."Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-32985704187449153622011-12-31T11:02:00.000-08:002011-12-31T11:15:04.143-08:00<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Merry belated Christmas and Happy early New Year, friends, family, and readers! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Many of you may be looking for ways to help others in a tangible way in the New Year. Let me present a way for you to do so. I have a wonderful friend here in Haiti named Fritz who is the manager of our ministry. I have known him since I started coming to visit and work with Maison de Lumiere. In 2004, right when our boys' home started, Fritz moved in and began overseeing the care of the first twelve boys. Fritz's parents died when he was young. He was raised in one of the roughest, most violent areas in Port au Prince, called Cite Soleil. Fritz worked hard doing many different jobs to put himself through school. He now has a lovely wife, Magolie, and two beautiful daughters, Sienna and Tassia. Magolie is also pregnant right now. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Fritz is the oldest of eight siblings.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Right after the earthquake Fritz took in all of his extended family members who had lost their homes. At least, if not more than, twenty people moved into his home and into his yard in tents. For months they remained there while they searched for new places to live. A few months after the earthquake one of Fritz's sisters who still lived in Cite Soleil suffered what appeared to be a stroke. She was hospitalized for a time then Fritz began to pay for her housing and care when she moved in with another of their sisters. She continues to require full care and cannot speak. Over a year ago two visiting nurses and I paid a visit to her home. You can read about that visit </span><span style="font-size: large; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://brookejames.blogspot.com/2010/08/important-items-ive-forgotten-to-post.html">here</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">. Fritz took in this sister's two daughters, Jennifer and Ruby. This last spring other family members decided to move Jennifer and Ruby and their mom into another relative's home further away from our neighborhood. Fritz was heartbroken and worried for their health and safety. Eventually he learned that whoever they were staying with was abusing the girls, as well as their mother when she attempted to cry out against them. In order for Jennifer and Ruby to move back in with his family, Fritz needs extra financial support for them. As the oldest child in his family, he financially and emotionally supports each of his younger siblings and their families. In addition to working for our ministry, he has a business out of his home where he sells water, food, and dry goods. Yet taking in these two girls again is an extra expense he cannot afford at this time. If you would like more information about Fritz and these girls and/or would like to sponsor the girls, please leave me a comment on the blog sharing your interest and a way for me to contact you. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Mesi Anpil (Thank you very much!)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> for all the ways you have supported those I care about here in Haiti! </span></span></div>Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758903640214935141.post-50693585790320911722011-12-08T19:34:00.001-08:002011-12-19T16:01:14.667-08:00Driving....can make you insane<br />
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Last week I drove Ensa and her mother to a clinic in Petionville, which is only a few miles up a hill from my house, but it can take an hour or longer to get there with traffic. I took Anderson, one of our boy graduates, along with me to help me navigate and make me feel safe. I knew already that he's not the best at navigating...but he's better than nothing and always provides entertaining conversation. He is willing to ask for directions. We started out the morning with him calling the doctor to ask for directions. She told him a landmark then said for him to call back when we arrived there. Thankfully he knew how to get to this location, a church. After that we pulled over so I could call the doctor. Two attempts and she didn't answer. I pulled over to the edge of the street, but cars honked furiously at us nonetheless. We had not been given the address or the name of the clinic when we'd called her earlier in the morning. She had given Anderson a general area. We could no longer stay in the intersection so I picked a direction and drove off. Finally, the doctor's assistant called back and Anderson spoke to her. With confidence he told me where to go. Then, silence. "Where do I turn?" "I don't know," he responded. I called the doctor's office again and Ensa's mother spoke with her. Same result as with Anderson: we turned a bunch of times and then were lost again, as we looked for "Thyle Market," which the office claimed was nearby. And she was told the office was named "Citi Med." I pulled over again and a female street vendor offered to get in the car to show us where to go. Upon arriving at "Citi Med" we were told they did not know the doctor we were looking for. Another phone call. NO, its not Citi Med, its called "Omni Med." Are you kidding me? Again, we drove in circles looking for a market supposedly close to the office, but this time we were told it was called "Star Market." Ensa's mother gave directions to me from the back seat using hand signals. That doesn't really help when you're trying to avoid hitting other cars and people. You can't look behind you. I frequently told her to say "Right, Left, and Straight" in Creole and she agreed to, but then I began to wonder if she knows her right from her left. Anderson would tell me where to go two seconds AFTER I had passed the intersection. A few more phone calls, being told to look for "Big Market", and praise God we found it! When we pulled up the lady who had been giving us directions shook her head in wonder and laughed at us. Thanks so much.</div>
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The doctor, a rheumatologist, was very kind and thorough in her examination of Ensa. Hospital Espoir had been unable to figure out why she continued to have fevers and pain even though she received treatment for her diagnosis of typhoid. All of Ensa's symptoms and clinic picture led the doctor to believe she has Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. She started Ensa on three times per day Aspirin which Ensa seems to be responding to. She had labs drawn last week and the results should be in in the next few days. We are very thankful that it seems some answers are being found for her.</div>
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Thank you very much to those who donated to Ensa and Mikerlange's medical fund! Mikerlange seems to be gaining strength and her skin is completely cleared. She has a follow-up appointment with her HIV doctor next week. Both she and Ensa and family attended our annual Christmas program on Saturday. </div>
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Ensa all dressed-up for our Christmas Program</div>
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Thank you and blessings to all of you, for reading and for supporting these girls!</div>
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P.S. My friends and coworkers moved into the apartment below me. Last week, in preparation of them moving in, a couple of painters came by to paint. When my friends saw the apartment the day before it had white walls...dirty white walls, but white walls, nonetheless. They assumed that when the owner said she would have the walls re-painted they would be re-painted white...right? No. Wrong. Pink. Pepto-bismol pink. I shouldn't be surprised, because this is actually a popular color here. At least my dining room is a muted shade of pink. I am so blessed.</div>
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P.P.S Yesterday I was talking with two ladies who were staying for a few nights at our guesthouse. They spent most of last week at a hotel downtown. A fancy-schmancy nice one. So nice that it had mice running in and out of holes that the managers or maids stuffed with newspaper. So nice that someone working there provided them with a billy club as a weapon to kill the mice. How would you like that for your first trip to Haiti? Here's some mice to entertain you while you sleep and here's your weapon to kill them. Wow. So thoughtful of you. </div>
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</div>Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09606430834244425383noreply@blogger.com1