a small glimpse...

I think I may have the teensiest bit of an idea what a mother's love for her child is.... and in turn how great God's love for us is - how huge, powerful, and unending.
I never could have imagined loving someone more than Lee, and being as though I don't have children Lee is still #1.... but when I look at these kids my heart swells and I get this feeling that I can't describe.
And seeing Lee interact with the kids is sometimes more than my heart can stand.  I need to take them home with me.  All of them.

update on life

I know when I get home I'm going to regret not blogging more during my last couple months in Grenada.
So here's a little update!

Lee just finished his second set of exams - 2/3 finished with 5th term now!! And completely finished with CPD for life! and he is relieved.
We got the list of available hospitals for the spring.... Detroit is still our #1 option and we have no earthly idea about #2 and #3...  pray we get Detroit!!

We're still both busy all the time. go go go.  I'm looking forward to Christmas and being home relaxing a bit before the craziness begins again in January with Lee back to studying for the USMLE and me working! ah!

Limes is going fantastic!  I am so happy.  The kids have been behaving, the volunteers have been faithful, and the rain has held out for the most part.
I have a couple of posts to back up and do about Limes so I'll do that soon.

We're still visiting QE every Monday.  They got two new little boys that have been quite the handful.  It is so sad to see that they way these kids are behaving is a direct correlation to the environment they were in before they were put in QEH.  People are disgusting. basically.  The things these sweet little children have seen, heard, and been subjected to makes me want to vomit.
Pray for their adjustment and for the staff and counselors at QE and the sweet little ones C. & J.

This week I helped the girls from Bel Air home learn a song and dance to perform at the ICSA talent show last night!! They sang Katy Perry - Firework!  They did sooooo good!!  It was a near disaster when they arrived and I saw that two of the best, loudest singers weren't there!  They didn't do their chores and weren't allowed to come :/  but the other girls stepped it up and they sang their hearts out.  It was so fun!! I made ribbon streamers and we have sparklers lit at the end and the crowd loved it :)  I can't wait to get the video!  I'll post it soon.

Other than that I've been working on growing my sea glass collection, visiting the beach, baby sitting, collecting donations for REACH Grenada, and doing some little crafts here and there.... oh and PURGING this household of stuff so I can pack it all home. yikes.  its going to be a chore.

better late than never...

anyone who has been reading this blog for the past year has heard about my frustration with the lack of volunteers from the SOs.  I have begged people to help to no avail.... but last Monday afternoon my prayers were answered. 
We had our first visit to Queen Elizabeth Home for the semester & as I approached Charter Hall I was welcomed by a massive group of volunteers.... 19 in total!
NINETEEN!
We had 3 returning volunteers from last term and 16 new SOs!
It was incredible. 

There are only 14 kids at QE right now so we had more than one adult per child and I was amazed at just how smoothly things went.  The kids were engaged and having fun and no one was acting up.

I realize that 19 people each week probably isn't realistic... but if at least half of that group remain faithful to visiting QE each week it will be awesome!

I am getting ahead of myself and daydreaming about how awesome Limes will be this term if we can get that many volunteers.... 

I heard this quote this week "Delays do not weaken the promise of God"

This past year was a bit of a struggle and wouldn't have been possible without the dedication of Amber Gazo, Michelle Nanney, Adriana Pardo, and Jessi Steinz. 
When people were bitter and doubted that we should continue Limes and other volunteer activities we said no.  These programs are way to important to these kids to just toss it aside.
And look what is happening!  So many people want to get involved and help out and I believe that God has sent the right people for the job and I am optimistic about the future.

Fingerprint Friday

Living in Grenada (without a job) I have so many great volunteer opportunities, such as visiting Queen Elizabeth's Home for children.  We go once a week and spend time with the kids playing & most recently helping them to improve their reading skills. 
I love the time I get to spend there with these precious little children. 
I see the fingerprints of God all over them because they have been rescued from unsafe homes and are now on track to a better life.

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know its true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God

To learn more about Fingerprint Fridays and read other blogs participating, please visit  The Rusted Chain.

Sugar Cane!

Every Monday we go to Queen Elizabeth's Home for Children & yesterday the kids introduced us to their sugar cane crop.... by breaking down a salk, stomping on it to break it up into pieces & then chewing on the insides... it was quite educational.  They let me taste it too, I wasn't really a fan...it was just an odd taste, not really as incredibly sweet as you might think.

the sugar cane garden (I don't really know what you'd call it, garden, patch, crop)

What you chew on... one kid told me it cleans your teeth, which I highly doubt

 

  

 

This sweet boy has consistently asked me every time he's seen me about my watch he says "Miss, let me see your watch.... can you find a watch for me?"  But it's never in a rude or begging kind of way.... I hope someday I can get him a watch! 
They love watches! They're always pushing all the buttons & when I leave my watch is beeping & alarms are going off all hours of the day, haha.  One boy there has a watch... so they must be able to keep a watch of their own.  It's tough to know what you can give the kids because often it gets taken away... but maybe if it's strapped to their body, they can keep it? 

This is a Mango tree growing at the orphanage, yo can see the sugar cane behind it

I can't wait to visit them when the mangoes are ripe!

Kiss me sweet, and we'll go flying high in birdland, high in the sky up above... all because we're in love - Ella Fitzgerald

A girl sang this song on American Idol.... and I love it.
and I love Lee.

Yesterday we celebrated Valentine's Day together by spending some time at the beach together (finally!)
Lee had his unified exams in the morning and as soon as he finished (he finished first btw... hopefully that's a good sign!) we headed to Grand Anse!
We spent some time laying in the sun because Lee is as pale as he would be living in Canada in the winter.... playing in the water, although there weren't waves today like there were Saturday!

Did I talk about Saturday?? at the OSO Beach Day with the kid's from Queen Elizabeth's Home the waves were intense!  We were all getting knocked down and drug out to sea.... and covered in sand! my bathing suit was FULL of sand. but it was a fun time of course :)

Anyway, yesterday.... we ate lunch on the beach - peanut butter and jelly, dorito-ish chips, and apples and then started the journey over the mountain at the end of Grand Anse beach to get to Morne Rouge beach... we had never been, but I had heard it was more secluded than Grand Anse (and because all the first term med students had the day off after their exams, they were all at the beach!)
It was a tough walk.... up, up, up a big hill and then down, down, down... but worth it! it was beautiful! and very secluded. 
But then we started to get hot! so we took the walk back up over the hill and down the other side to the Spiceland Mall to get SMOOTHIES! Lee had fruit punch and I had cantaloupe.  Cantaloupe doesn't sound that good... but it is! it's the flavor intensified and lots of sugar :) and they use sweetened condensed milk in their smoothies. they are heaven.

Afterwards we headed home to get the sand and salt washed off and I went to the Queen Elizabeth's Home to play with the kids, like we do every Monday!  It was a fun day.... I was pretty worn out though and thankfully the kids weren't too active.  Amber brought them all sunglasses!  A friend of her's from home bought them for the kids at Walmart... and they loved them!!! It was so sweet to see them so excited.

 

 

Once I got home Lee and I planned to go out to eat... but instead we went and watched the sunset on the cliffs on the end of campus and ordered pizza from Glover's and watched a movie.
I must say it was one of the best Valentine's Day's ever.

 

Lee relaxing for the first time in a month! 

♥ yum 

On the hill overlooking Grand Anse Beach
it's so pretty!
we must have said 10 times "I can't believe we live here"

The other side of the hill, over looking Morne Rouge Beach (or aka BBC Beach)

There was hardly anyone there, but we spotted our friends and RA's Glenn and Michelle out in the water!
Grenada is a small world :) 

Happy First Married Valentine's Day!