Praise, Prayer, and Apology ...

Yup, I'm combining 3 blogs in one. I figure I really don't have all that much to say about each, and I thought I could lump them all together.

PRAISE - Léa, my replacement is here for 2 weeks being trained. It has been great to already cover a lot of ground with her. This really is a job that you just have to jump in; you pretty much learn as you go. We've already had a number of things come up, so we've gotten to do a variety of things already. She is a very quick learner, and so it definitely doesn't take her long to figure out things! Definitely makes my job easier. She is a great person, and I have no concerns at all about her taking over my job. I know that the children will be very well looked after!

PRAYER - A few prayer requests here. First, that Léa and I will get everything covered that we need to. There is definitely a lot of stuff that I do, and so although we've already done a lot, there is still a lot we need to cover. Pray that we will get most of the stuff covered before next Friday when she leaves. (She is going back home for 3 weeks to finish things up at home. We just wanted to get her here while I am still here so that I can train her.) Secondly, please pray for Nathalie and I. We are both feeling pretty miserable. I think Nathalie is on the mend; however, she is definitely still not 100%. She has been running a fever since Saturday. As well, she is coughing tons!!! The other night, I figure she got about 5 hours of sleep, and I got 3 because of her coughing. And now, I think I have what Nathalie had. Today has not been a good day for me at all. I have been having a fever all day, and everything just hurts - my eyes, my skin, my muscles, my scalp, etc, etc, etc. Please pray that this would pass quickly, as I cannot afford to be sick. I have SO much I need to do before I leave in 2 weeks. And, that brings me to my third prayer request. Yes, I am leaving GLA in 2 weeks! I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by! It seems like just a few weeks ago that I gave my notice to Dixie, and it has actually been 4 months! Crazy! Leaving will NOT be easy. I have already had a couple melt-downs, and know there are likely many more to come. This place is home, and it has been an amazing 2 years. Saying good-bye to the children (especially little Nathalie), the staff, the volunteers, the country, and everything about my life here will be so very, very hard! Yes, I am excited about beginning the next chapter of my life, but a piece of my heart will always be here in Haiti!

APOLOGY - Many of you have been emailing, and also did email a while back, and are probably waiting for a response. I have been super, super busy, and so sending emails has, unfortunately, not been a priority. I am so sorry. Please know that I appreciate you all SO much, and LOVE getting every email that you send. I definitely read them all, just don't get a chance to respond to all of them. I am always very excited when I see the "new mail" icon at the bottom of my computer. I will certainly try to respond to your emails before I get home; however, I know that it will not be possible to respond to all of you. I am very excited about seeing all of you, and hope that when we talk in person, that will make up for not getting emails from me. Again, I apologize! I do love you all a lot! I have the most supportive family and friends, and I value you all SO much!