A Motherless Baby

There is nothing that stirs my heart like a motherless child. Could there be anything more lonely and empty to a child than to be with out the touch of its mother? Such was the case of Lovenie a nine month old baby girl who lost her mother last month due to an extended sickness. One day she was a cared for and nursed by her loving mother and the next she was suddenly left hungry and crying in the arms of her father. Her father loved her enough to make the most loving choice he could find- to let her go.

Lovenie is a sweet, cuddly little girl and it is a joy to care for her!

I’d say Lovenie is pretty happy with this Mama!

Just look at that smile! Ergo babies are happy babies!

Polenta a la carte

The latest food craze I’m on is this simple dish made quickly with inexpensive ingredients probably found in almost every kitchen. I simply call it polenta with fried eggs but if you want to be fancy it could be called Polenta a la carte!!

To start with you chop some onions and garlic and sauté them in oil or butter if you’re rich enough to have that on hand. Next add either chicken broth or water with chicken bouillon cubes and salt. Bring that to a boil and add cornmeal- any texture you want, its delicious with course grits or with fine ground it just depends what you have on hand. Cook it for a while and then add some milk or cream just like a half cup or however much you need to make it nice and creamy but still thick.  Then put the lid on and let it sit while you fry the eggs.

For the eggs- melt butter or margarine in a pan and let it get hot but not too hot then crack your egg open right in the middle of your butter or if your paranoid you can always put it in a small dish and then transfer it to the hot pan. However you do it please be so careful not to pop the yolk. After you have it in the pan hover over it with eagle eye, adjust the temperature accordingly to cook it nicely with out making brown crispy edges. When the white part turns white gently take a spatula and expertly flip it to the other side once again being ever so careful with that golden yolk. Leave it for about 2.5 seconds and then grab a plate put a big pile of polenta in the middle and then lift the egg and place it right smack in the middle of the polenta.

You will feel quite excited at this point which is normal! Grab the salt grinder and grind madly over the egg and then repeat with the pepper grinder. Sprinkle lightly with cayenne pepper and a good size pinch of fresh chopped parsley. Whisper a prayer of thanks to Jesus and then dig in!!

Just look at that liquid gold running out warm over the hot, creamy polenta! Its exploding with flavor and unexpected richness pared with  fresh parsley that adds a touch of freshness! And its all common simple ingredients put together in just the right way to create a masterpiece that will make your taste buds sing and hearts happy!

Devensky

A couple weeks ago I had the blessed privilege of caring for Devensky for two days. Devensky is a small boy maybe 4 or 5 years old and he came to our cholera center along with a group of others who came for treatment. They had to travel for hours to get here and by the time they got here small Devensky was almost gone. Thankfully the nurse who was on duty got an IV started right away and saved his life. The problem was that he was so severely malnourished we were afraid his body couldn’t handle all the liquid and indeed within the first hour his little stomach was big and tight. We wanted to transfer him to another hospital right away but there was no one who was willing to go along with him. None of the people who came down with him wanted to be responsible for him and in fact two men who came with him slipped away quick leaving one old lady here to take care of three ladies and little Devensky. Unfortunately this lady was not interested in wasting time on him so there was no one to take care of him. He was almost dying and needed someone so Mike asked me if I’d be willing to take him till we figure out what to do. Of course I jumped at the chance and I got to take care of this precious little boy.

He was so pitiful and thin laying there on the cot in the hospital all by himself. It just broke my heart.

I thought he was going to break when I gently gathered him up in my arms and carried him to my soft bed. The first thing that was in order was of course a warm bath!! There is little that compares to the joy of bathing someone like Devensky in warm soapy water. When I took the warm washcloth and started gently washing his face he just smiled! He was so dirty the water actually turned brown.

Judging from the bottoms of his tiny feet I doubt that he’s ever worn shoes or socks; not only were they covered with black grime but they were calloused thick like the soles of shoes. Washing those feet and massaging them with coconut oil was pure joy!!

What a beautiful boy! All clean and sweet! Sleeping peacefully!

And then the worms came! I guess they were pretty hungry and decided to go find some food. Out they came from both ends! Unbelievable amounts and some the size of small snakes- even out of his mouth!! It was so awful I just wanted to sob.

The first night we didn’t know if he’d make it through the night but by morning he seemed to feel better so after another bath and some clean pjs he sat up and tried to eat a bit of breakfast.

But alas, every time he would drink a little something or take a bit of food he’d get this sick look on his face and hold really still for a long time and then sure enough an evil worm would come out of his mouth. And he passed fistfuls of big fat ones in his diaper.

Then he stopped eating and drinking all together. We couldn’t get him interested in anything. I even tried a sucker which he took and put in his mouth for about two licks then he was done with that too. He was completely uninterested  in life I got the feeling that he was trying to die.

Finally I just realized he might be more than I can handle right now. What if he would die just because I wanted to keep him and couldn’t admit that he needed to be somewhere he could get more care than I had to offer. So after two days and nights of loving on him I let him go. He is at Real Hope For Haiti which is a rescue center for children just like Devensky who are severely malnourished. They were delighted to have him and I trust he is doing well under their experienced loving care.

I am so thankful I got to be a small part of his life. I wish many times I could have done more for him but I release him to God and trust he will work everything out for good in Devensky’s life!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Do In Remembrance…

In October we as a staff were blessed to be able to have a lovely communion and foot washing service hosted by John and Deb Rumble from Washington. ( Wendy Levy’s parents )

Here Deb and two of her granddaughters mix the dough for the unleavened communion bread.

Willing sister hands knead the dough smooth, blending the individual ingredients. Working it together till it forms one big happy union just like all of us blending together and with Christ until we are all one body melted together.

Teaching little sister hands to make the bread. The bread we eat to help us remember how much Jesus loves us!

We roll it out gentle, cutting each piece with care! The older teaching the younger just like Jesus said!

This is my body broken for you and as you eat it remember me~ Jesus

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”    Luke 22:19

This is my blood poured out for you and as you drink it remember me ~Jesus

And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the covenant in my blood. Luke 22:20

“ If I then your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.”  John 13:14,15

The older woman bending low to gently wash the feet of a busy mother.

Real life gets messy, people get messy, trials are hard, and patience wears thin but in the middle of it all we stop to remember… remember Jesus, remember love, remember why we are here!!

It’s a Yoder thing…

Legend has it that many years and many generations ago there was a Yoder who once died a slow, awful death of starvation. Besides the fact that it was a Yoder and that the death was long and painful there aren’t many details. Its just one of those facts of life every Yoder knows and accepts. The knowledge gets passed from one generation to the next right along side stories of Aunt Fannie falling into the creek while wearing a new dress she was proud of and Grossmommy putting a cup of milk and graham crackers at little Sammy’s bedside in case he gets hungry during the night. ( I actually own the original little brown cup- I got it at Grossmommy’s auction. )

It is because of this fact that us Yoders are always worried about food. Its why Dad insists on putting a pack of cheese slices into my purse before I board that plane for Haiti and its why Aunt Kate used to go to gross gma with a hefty slice of chocolate pie stashed in her diaper bag supposedly for her children or maybe it was for her unborn baby!! And its why she still takes food in her purse- only now its in case one of the grandchildren gets hungry.

I know how it is- slipping that peanut butter and honey sandwich or a wedge of cheese into my purse in case I get light-headed. I know very well how it feels  when all the peers smell like fancy perfume but somehow mine got lost by the overwhelming scent of ham sandwich or sweet bologna cubes that I’m hiding in that cute purse- the cute purse that might not even have money in it! The following photos are the insides of two Yoder purses before leaving on a two hour road trip. These photos are genuine- not posed. These purses were packed with careful forethought they are meant to sustain life.

Now as a mom I do it for sure. I rarely if ever step out the door without water and a snack for Veronika and more than enough to break and share with others like Jesus broke the loaves and fishes that the little Yoder boy carried along when everyone else forgot!!

In a lot of ways Veronika is so thoroughly Yoder you’d never guess she wasn’t biologically a Yoder! To her the food issue is as alive and well as in any of us and in fact because of her early starvation and close to death experience as an infant it is very strong. She loves food, loves to eat and loves to cook and yes, she must carry a spare honey pot.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Two and a half years ago I was doing this:

And now my precious baby is doing this:

just look at those thighs!!

Veronika is a hopeless baby lover just like me. We are praying for another baby to take care of and love on!!

Nearly every day of Nika’s life she has seen Mommy do this:

Just look at her writing in her journal!! Looks like she still needs some lessons in holding the pencil!!

Today we are doing this:

Before I know it Veronika will be doing these things on her own. That is the chain of life- a mother teaches her daughter, the daughter grows up and teaches her daughter… generations come and go and traditions are passed from one to the next for hundreds of years!

I love this Mommy thing! I love this passing from one generation to the next! This is the way we love babies, keep record of life in our journals, mix up a chocolate birthday cake, butcher a pig and knead the bread. This is how we do our part to make the world go around.

A Lover of Beauty

I’m a lover of beauty. I crave it, thirst and yearn for it. I dream of beauty deep, genuine and endless. God beauty is what I long for; beauty that originates in heaven and is manifested here in this daily, ordinary living. Beauty that welcomes, rests, refreshes and draws one’s heart to worship the author of all things beautiful.

All my life I have dreamed of being rich in God beauty; gracious, loving, caring, serving… not in a weary, frazzled kind of way but with a glad heart, a restful spirit- God’s spirit. A spirit that will lighten the load of a weary soul, that will spread cheer to the downcast and give strength to the weak. A spirit of love and compassion that will give the bitter and wandering soul something to yearn and thirst for. A beauty so strong that even in the soul’s darkest hour it will shine forth like the sun at noon day showing the path to God. I have seen that kind of beauty and I’m jealous for it.

I think this beauty craving is the reason I so love the book, 1,000 Gifts written by Ann Voskamp  a busy farmer’s wife and mother of 6 lively children. The book is a beautifully written treasure telling about her personal search for beauty which led her not only to discover endless beautiful gifts surrounding her in her everyday life but also to fall in love with the creator of beauty himself, Jesus!!

You know you can read all kinds of books that are good but sometimes things will just resonate with truth. For me, reading this book was one of those truth times. That quest for beauty is a journey that I need to go on. I need to search for and count the gifts that surround me; gifts from Jesus.

I just so often find myself instead of at peace- restless, striving, frustrated while the dust comes in faster than I can sweep it out and the sweat runs in rivers down my back. Bent over kneading the bread dough fast I wish busy feet would stay outside or sneaking a cup of cold kambucha so I won’t have to pass out five little cups… My vases are empty and my candle has no flame.

This is not the woman I want to be.

I want the calm, restful spirit that without saying a word says, “ You are valued and loved, your heart is welcome. It doesn’t matter who you were or are you are precious to me because you are precious to God.”

I want my heart to be at rest, full of thanksgiving, counting my love gifts even when the towels hang damp and someone has peed on the rug. Even when the breakfast eggs come out rotten and the cat chewed up the bread. And in the midst of the cook complaining of vampires in the night and the gardener irate threatening to chop off feet.

I’ll find gifts and I’ll count them one by one by one till kingdom come!!

Furlough 2012

I have been in Haiti for two and half years now and this furlough was my third and by far my best time going home. The first time I went for a two week furlough the trip started out disastrously and pretty much stayed that way. I got terrible sick and floated through my time in a daze trying frantically to get some shopping done… there were some good parts but it was mostly a hectic whirlwind.

The next time I went home for 6 days to attend my nephew’s wedding and that trip was way better than the first although still a bit hazy and hectic.

Now I went again, this time for 3 weeks. And the only awful, terrible thing of this whole trip was being separated from Veronika. Otherwise I could not have hoped for a better time!! It felt blessed from God from the very beginning!

I got to fly first class for the first time in my life! It was pretty great not  having to stand in long lines of grannies and overwhelmed parents struggling with too much luggage and fussy kids. Not that it ever bothered me before but when this time I could just pass everyone up and zoom through the priority access lane, be seated and enjoy a cold drink before everyone else came struggling onto the plane it was really fun! Then through out the whole flight I got served drinks and food and was politely addressed by name and get this, twice I was the first person off 0f the plane! The seats were wide and comfortable enough that you could actually have a bit of personal space which was perhaps the highlight of the whole first class thing as I have had some very squishy experiences not to mention waking up to find my head resting on  a complete stranger’s shoulder! So the bottom line is, I arrived at my destination feeling rested, warm and ready for adventure rather than the usual – shivering cold, starving hungry and exhausted!

Rachel had a bedroom all clean and waiting for me with a new sheet set that felt as soft as silk and fat, fluffy pillows! There were hot showers or steamy bubble baths as many as I wanted, the power never once even blinked, there was wifi through out the whole house, there was full phone service everywhere- no need to rush to a window or outside to answer the phone. There was an endless supply of fresh brown eggs, and cold milk, there were endless friends to spend time with from this age:

to this age!!

And about every age in between!!

And then there was the parents, 2 nieces and my baby sister who drove 1o hours, up from VA to see me! Wow!!

The fun thing about Dad is his belief that a full stomach makes a happy heart. He is just horrified when someone mentions something about being hungry. It is urgent to him to get that person something to eat and FAST. And it can’t be just anything cheap because cheap stuff isn’t fit to eat. Good’s potato chips, Lapp Valley ice cream, brown eggs, real butter, hormone free meat- chicken or seafood seem to be his favorites, homemade noodles..

He loves veggies too but for the most part its Mom who taught us to adore things that come from the earth. In fact, I was an adult by the time I found out it wasn’t a sin to eat fruit loops and drink kool-aid!!

Its because of my Mother that we eat things like grilled eggplant and polenta with kale,

And then there was the sisters and 5 of my 42 nieces and nephews!

I could go on and on but I’ll spare you the details!! It was a delightful trip filled with love and good times. And I came home with my memory bank full of good memories to carry me through many a weary day!!

I was very ready to come home to Haiti where my heart is for now!!