Dimanch/Sunday: trauma to tinsel

Another great day in this wonderful place!

We were privileged today to attend a training here at Heartline for a trauma/grief group they will be running with the teens moms at Harbor House.

The Heartline folks were being trained by a group of experienced facilitators from Oregon, and we were able to join them for a day of learning. The fact that this was the one subject that was not well covered in our Spiritual Direction training program was not lost on me. God seems to provide things in interesting ways. The training was a full day,and while it was long, I feel so blessed to have learned from these facilitators and to have had a chance to get to know the Heartline folks in a different way.

We spent a bit of the evening with some pretty amazing missionary kiddos here, tied in some hair tinsel in order to bring our coveted California fashion to Haiti, and made a trip out to a nearby clinic for a reunion with Barbie...a brilliantly gifted PA who is working here in Haiti.

I am still reliving the beauty of the birth from the other day. I feel so thankful for the welcome we have been given here and the chance to have my love for midwifery and birth renewed. I love all birth, but something about birth in Haiti in a birth center with the woman surrounded by support and care is so fulfilling to my midwife heart. This mom - Franchette - was minutes away from birth and broke out into a song of "All I need is you Lord". Moments later a lovely little boy slid out into welcoming hands. I wish all births could be like this.:) Sometimes I just need a bit of a reminder that these kinds of births do still exist.

Tomorrow I am making a trip to the US Embassy to see if there is anything that can be done to help speed the adoption process for my niece and nephew. It is a long shot but would love your prayers that I might be able to find out something about the needed paperwork.

Thanks to all of you who so faithfully support the work happening here in Haiti. We are so blessed to be here.

Sarah O

<--The Harbor House girls