dear grace.

i know i said i was going to write you a letter way back in june when i met you but better late than never right? sorry it has taken so long, so here we go.

in june before i met you i prayed that the lord would put a specific person in my path that i could learn something from & i am so happy that you were that person for me.

i remember when i first met you, (yes, i was in a bad mood) BUT you stuck out to me. i had this feeling that there was something more to you that i would even figure out on that trip alone. after long van rides, getting stranded at a farm, conversations at night that lasted 2 hours i realized more that you were that person. you know how much love i have for cad & those kids & seeing you love so freely encouraged my spirit so much. i look through photos & see you clinging to your sweet boy & my heart is overwhelmed. how blessed i am to have someone like you in my life that reminds me so much of the love that our father has for us. you are such a role model, such an example of unconditional love. do not ever lose that.

life is crappy sometimes, & sometimes circumstances can shape us into someone we do not want to be & sometimes even though life can suck we can make the choice to look past that & still love. that is such a gift. your love is open & free to those kids & that is so very special.

when the lord brings you to mind (which is a lot) i pray so much for you. i pray for your future. i pray that even though you might not have a clue of what you want to do with your life that you continue to seek the lords plan for your life. if i could give you any advice it would be this: if the lord puts something in your heart to do, do it. don't waste time. please do not waste your life wondering. i did that & now i am making up for so much lost time. time is irreplaceable. don't let unforgiveness & bitterness fester in your heart. that stuff is so painful. let it go. seek the lord to heal those places in your heart. people will let you down but GOD is always faithful. he is dependable. he is good & he loves you so much.

i pray that the broken parts of your heart are healed so you can love better. i pray that you become more confident in who you are in christ so you can share that confidence with others. i pray that you have a closer relationship with the lord so when he speaks to you, you hear what he is saying. i pray that fear is replaced with peace. anger is replaced with happiness. loneliness is replaced with closeness. i pray that when you look in the mirror you see yourself the way that the lord sees you. i pray you see what i see in you & those that are close to you see. i pray that when you hide behind others you have the courage to step out & become the leader i know that you are. grace, you are not a follower & you have so much you can speak into others lives. don't let fear hold you back from changing peoples lives. you could be the one thing someone is so desperately needing. you are such an amazing, talented, beautiful, sweet, hilarious, compassionate woman & i am truly so thankful for you.

i see so much of my younger self in you & i can see so clear why the lord put us on the same path. you are going to change peoples lives. the lord has such a plan for your life & i am so blessed to be apart of your journey. i am so excited to be with you on this upcoming trip to haiti. i am happy for this new season of your life & all that it is going to bring to you.

your parents are blessed to have you & YOU are blessed to have them. even though it might not seem like it sometimes they truly have your best interest at heart. it might not be what you want or what you want to hear but know that they love you & only want good things for your life. i am always here for you no matter what. i love you so much & feel like i have known you for such a long time. you are always in my prayers. you are always welcome in my home. you have a little piece of my heart & will forever be my sweet little grace.



- EARL

i have no idea what to call this post.

Your love not fractured, its not a troubled mind 
It isn’t anxious 
Its not the restless kind

Your love’s not passive 
Its never disengaged 
Its always present 
Its hang on every word we say 
Love keeps it promises 
Its keeps its word 
It honors what’s sacred 
Cause its vows are good 
Your love not broken 
Its not insecure 
Your love not selfish 
You love is pure 


- Piece, Amanda Cook

sometimes i can sit & listen to the same song 100 times & feel something different every single time i listen to it. sometimes i sit & listen to the song & the lord uses that song to minister to my spirit on maybe the 15th time of listening. 

sometimes in our lives we wonder where the lord is. we are to eager to feel something, to feel his presence. we want a change. we want all our horrible circumstances to vanish. sometimes we spend time seeking him & still nothing. why?

when we feel like we cannot take anything else, like all we need is to feel his love, to know he is there & still nothing. why?

i have no clue. all i can do is read his word & have confidence in his love for me. have trust in his word that when he says he is always with us that he means it. 

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord - ROMANS 8:38-39

JOSHUA 1:9

have i not commanded you? be strong & courageous. do not be frightened, & do not be dismayed for the lord your god is with you wherever you go

as i have been praying & preparing my heart for this trip i literally have cried so many times in the shower, cleaning the kitchen, folding laundry, drinking coffee, all the time. i feel overwhelmed but in a good way, yea we have been really slow at fundraising this trip BUT these kids are MY LIFE. their faces are in my mind every single day. their laughs are with me everyday. their sweet spirits are in my prayers every day & i cannot even tell you have ridiculously loved they are by me. if you spend anytime with me at all you know my heart & i am sure you have had an ear full about these kiddos & haiti in general. i feel so blessed to love these kids & be loved by them.  gosh you guys our lives are just so short & i don't want to die not pursuing my calling. i don't want to get in front of the lord & him look at me & say "evanda, i gave you a calling when you were 8, & what did you do with it? this is what you could have done" that line plays over in my head a lot. i don't want to waste time. i don't want to spend one second NOT being apart of something bigger than myself. the lord has been leading me to places i never thought was possible & i don't want things to pull me back. i want to keep moving forward with HIS PLAN.

everything & nothing less. my best, my all
you deserve my every breath.
my life, my song. 

i surrender. i surrender all. 
i surrender. i surrender all.
i surrender. i surrender all. 
i surrender. i surrender all. 

everything & nothing less
i give you
everything & nothing less
forever
everything & nothing less
my life is yours
completely yours. 

- everything & nothing less - chris mcclarney

life is too short.
what is the lord calling you to do?
is it something that makes less money & you can't afford it?
if so, where is your trust?
are you giving the lord your all? your best?
he deserves so much more you guys.
myself included.

please pray for me & my group as we get ready for this journey to haiti. if you feel lead to give to our trip financially you can do so HERE

lady deb & some things.

today was a nice day. my sweet friend deb picked me up & we headed to atlanta to do stuff. she needed her phone fixed bc it was janked which meant a trip to perimeter mall. the mall is bustling this time of year & i love it. people getting loved ones gifts, smells- some really good & some really bad. yankee candle is too much for me. way too much. all kinds of people buying all kinds of things. there were so many people there in the middle of the day? what do these people do?!?

starbucks coffee in hand we wandered around the mall & ended up in a few childrens clothing stores which made me really excited. deb has the cutest 10 month old little girl & if you know me you know i love kids & kids clothes. there was this one store that had the most unique clothing--- hanna anderson --CUTEST CLOTHES. they also have womens clothing & if i had a fist full of dollars i would buy something today.

so when in atlanta you eat something good & you get octane coffee. am i right? yes, i believe i am.
this was debs first time at bartaco & octane. i love introducing my favorite things to new people.

i had a pork tamale & a side of plantains. 

deb had a pork tamale & a side of pineapple.

so good. 

deb is the cutest & i am so glad to get to know another momma out there. isn't she cute?

xox

-e

god is incredible.

well for starters i have been super horrible with my posting. i have been busy with the holidays & other things & still do not have my christmas tree up.

this post will be all about all the amazing things the lord has been doing in the past few months. i can't believe this has taken me so long so here it goes.

SHOES: my sweet babies at CAD will all be getting a brand new pair of tennis shoes. for all of you that have been to CAD you know usually they have flip flops or those little slip on shoes that people donate which is AMAZING- BUT how incredible is it that the lord put someone on my path that is able to create an angel tree with their company & provide each kid with their very own pair of new shoes. i was in tears when she sent me the photos of the display. how i met her is crazy & the story is beautiful & her story of why she wanted to help is beautiful & i am just full of excitement & happiness. can you even wait to see their faces when they get their very own pair of shoes? i am going to take a lot of photos just so i can make a little video for everyone to see & hopefully raise more support for these sweet kids.

CAMERA: on my last trip to haiti our bus got stranded on the side of the road for a few hours. this is a typical thing to happen so you just make the best of it & start conversations with people. i got into a conversation with a sweet lady diane. the lord works in crazy ways as i type this story i can't even tell you all the feelings writing this brings up. so we are talking & she has this really cool instax full frame camera that she brought & i was sharing how happy i was that she brought it. all the people in the elderly home that got a photo to put on their wall, something of theirs to keep obviously meant the world to her. every family that got a photo right then to have. it was incredible. i started talking about all the things i wanted to do in haiti - and the photography classes i wanted to do with the kids. well she started talking about her daughter & how she had a non-profit that did just that. i was like no way, & when she told me the name of her daughters non-profit i almost lost my mind. YOU GUYS - it was the exact non profit that a friend told me about years ago that made me want to do the photography classes in haiti in the first place! -- PICTURE CHANGE

can we just stop & think about this for one second. God you never cease to amaze me. PLEASE check the non-profit out. kate is doing amazing things.

after our brief exchange of excitement, diane looks at me & says, well the lord wants me to give you this camera. WHAT! JESUS! i was blown away & in tears. i get teary just thinking about that.

FUNDING: so fundraising is always difficult as i have wrote about before. i haven't really gotten a lot of donations but everyone that knows me knows i will work myself to passing out to make a way for my trips. so the lord has opened and provided so much work for us for this trip! he is good & is always on time & always provides. if you are reading this & would like to give to us online you can do so HERE --- we have a few fundraising things coming up really soon so keep up with me on Facebook 

CREATIVITY: the lord has been putting all kinds of ideas into my heart to raise continual support for my trips to haiti. i can't wait to share with all of you once i have some stuff made.

KREYOL LESSONS: i started my lessons with haiti hub & i am so excited that i can actually write sentences now.

mwen kontan avek tout bagay!

-- i am happy with everything.

i walk around rattling off stuff all the time. it is so exciting and rewarding to be able to speak the language of the place that i love the most.

THE LORD IS GOOD. sometimes i get discouraged with life & he does things like this to lift my spirits and fill my heart. he knows our needs before we ask.