another stamp in the passport

and another adventure.

not quite a week ago i returned from another incredible adventure. 2nd trip to haiti and 14th entry stamp in my passport. funny how i only have 2 re-entry stamps into the states though. not sure how that works. i know i've come back here more than that! this country is definitely "home" for me, but every time i travel to another country my heart grows for the rest of the world and shrinks for the closed-minded, pompus attitude I often see here in "America". (not sure why we use that word to refer to this country specifically, since Canada and Mexico are both in *North* America, a bunch of countries are in *Central* America and even more are in *South* America...aren't we all technically "America"?)

Once, when I was returning from Indonesia, I had a long layover in Jakarta and spent the night in a hotel. Turned the TV on and the only thing in english was music videos so the channel surfing stopped there for a while. I heard (watched?) the song "California" by Phantom Planet. I was repulsed. I mean, I like California and all. You can't find too many other places where you can have all four seasons (yes, anyone not from cali might not realize this, but we have sandy desserts, forested mountains, rolling hills and various terrains of sea coasts...you can find hot summers, snowy winters, green springtimes and colorful autumns...okay not as snowy or as colorful or as green as other states...but we have 'em!). Where else can you live and be able to drive an hour one way and be in the snowy mountains to snowboard or drive one hour the opposite direction and be at the ocean and go swimming (so cal!) ? ...but the lyrics of the song were praising california like it was the best place in the world and everyone should want to go there. huh. at that point in time i wasn't really looking forward to going back to cali. Indonesia is a beautiful place. the people and cultures are intriguing, the food is amazing. the people in mexico are wonderful. the country of Jordan has great food and awesome spots to visit. Israel...can't say enough about it. Iraq was quite scary :) but i miss the people i met there. Amsterdam is incredibly organized. Haiti...the people are wonderful and the land itself is a beautiful place (head to the coasts or fly over the mountains...beautifully tropical).

I had a professor in Israel who said that when he was growing up he used to want to be the president of The USA just so that he could pass a law that said everyone had to spend at least a year outside of the states. boy, that would change our view on the world!

well...i think i've written enough for one blog. here are some pictures from my latest adventure to Haiti...









my dad took this one. i love it. i think it captures SO MUCH of Haiti all in one shot:

Frozen Revolution '07 Pics

Frozen Revolution '07 was an awesome trip. Click the picture below to see the photo album....

Photobucket Album

i made it

i'm putting this picture up first and laying claim to it. this kid is cute.

had a great trip, though didn't get as much sleep on the planes as I wanted to. so i'm really tired today. but i hope to get a good night's sleep tonight. i'm excited to get an idea of what life is like for my sister. i got a glimpse when i took a "shower" earlier today with her camp shower that she hangs on the shower head 'cause they don't have running water. the water was warm 'cause she leaves the bag out on the roof/patio during the day. that was interesting 'cause the level at which the water would come out of the bag was above my armpits :) which means i had to do a lot of acrobatics...it was an adventure!

then we went to st. joseph's and ate dinner and watched 'dance theater' which was incredible. now we're back here and the electricity came on! so i was able to post this. now i'm going to post this, spend some time with my sister and go to bed.

gnight.

haiti, m'ap vini!

that means "Haiti, I'm coming" (at least I think i got that right).

I'm going to Haiti in 2 days to visit my sister! I'm so excited! I get to see the place she calls "home", Three Angel's Orphanage. If you haven't looked at her blog you need to: http://angelainhaiti.blogspot.com/ and the blog for the orphanage is great too! http://threeangelshaiti.blogspot.com/ And, of course the website for the orphanage itself: http://www.threeangelshaiti.org/ (Note: if you have ever considered adoption, or even if you never have, your heart will be strongly tugged by the pictures, stories, and videos that can be seen on the aforementioned webpages. A very high percentage of people who have viewed these webpages have strongly desired to adopt one or all of them!)

My sister's favorite verse is James 1:27 which says, "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." This is what my sister is doing! She is "visiting" and caring for and providing for orphans, "the least of these" (and also the cutest of these).

Please pray for my trip, I hope to post pictures upon my return.

my sister

   "Peter said, 'Behold, we have left our own homes and followed You.'
And He said to them, 'Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.'" ~Luke 18:28-30

my sister is amazing. recently i watched her leave this place, her friends, her family, her job, her apartment, her posessions, her church....for what? for a third-world country, for hot weather, for lots of work, for unknown territory, for uncertainties, for unfamiliar people, for a place where she does not speak the language of the people, ....why? "for the sake of the Name" (3 John 7).

she is in a place most people consider dangerous. but we both know that the safest place to be is in the center of God's will. she feels this is God's will for her, thus it is the safest place.

"safe?" you ask, "how is going to a place like that 'safe'?" i will tell you why it is safe. it is not 'safe' because it is comfortable and has all manner of amenities. no, through Christ she has learned to deal with all those types of situations as if she had an abundance (see Phil. 4:10-13). it is not safe because she believes that pain does not exist (see 2 Tim. 4:5). no, it is safe because she realizes that all persecutions and sufferings that might come her way at the hands of men are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed to her at the revelation of Jesus Christ (see Rom. 8:18), nor are men to be feared (scared of) for what they can do, but she fears (respects) God and who He is (see Matt. 10:28). It was His will for her to go there, going against His will is something to fear...the fear of man will trip you up from what you are supposed to do (see Prov. 29:25).

Why should she fear? Nothing can separate her from the love of God (see Rom. 8:38-39). And if she dies, that is gain for her (see Phil. 1:21 and 2 Cor. 5:8)! and I will see her again, i can know this for certain (see 1 John 5:13). In all of this we greatly rejoice (1 Peter 1:3-9)!!!

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies;
who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Just as it is written,
"FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;
WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED."
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

~Romans 8:31-39

i love my sister

--"this is pure and undefiled religion: that you look after orphans and widows and that you keep yourself unstained by the world." james 1:27

IMG_2859

IMG_2859
Originally uploaded by aranahombre.

this is from flickr...the other was from Picasa. both seem about the same.

test

 
figuring out the easiest way to upload pics