a post by Missy (jenny's mom)

Good morning.  This is Missy writing for Jenny.  In case you don’t know me, I’m Jenny’s mom.  She hasn’t had internet access for a few weeks now and so is not able to keep you all updated.  So, I thought I’d let you know what I know (well most of it anyway).
For those of you who don’t know, Jenny is not at the YWAM base any longer.  Here’s what she posted on her blog.

“Every day God seems to blow me away with His work. I am so thankful that we serve a God who is much smarter than we are and who has already gone ahead of us and knows the plan for our life.
As many of you know, I came to Haiti in January with YWAM and planned to stay on board with them for at least 6 months and then see what God had in store.
Since arriving in Haiti, my heart has been in utter chaos. I was frustrated with the job that I was given, I was missing my kids in Cap-Haitien, and I just wanted to go out with the people and love on them.
God has been stirring in my heart for 5 weeks or so now that maybe YWAM isn't where I'm supposed to be. My initial thought was, "Seriously? Did I misunderstand God? Am I not supposed to be in Haiti?". I quickly threw those thoughts out as I recalled all of the amazing ways He provided and the things He showed me as I've been preparing for this life the last 3 years. YWAM wasn't at all what I was expecting. The things that I thought I would be doing weren't what I ended up doing, doctrinally we didn't align on a few major issues, and I just wasn't with the Haitian people the way that I believe God has called me to.
This past week God made it obvious that my time with YWAM had come to an end. He lined everything up perfectly and I moved out Friday. It all happened in about 48 hours. I was joking with my mom about how any normal person would be so stressed about being in the third poorest country, not totally knowing where they're going to live for a short time, and randomly waiting for a ride at a grocery store.
But I had total peace about everything. Literally, I've never felt so at peace! On Thursday I turned in a resignation, my friend Frantzy came and picked me up Friday morning, and we waited at a grocery store/restaurant until a missionary friend could pick me up and take me to Gonaives.
I am currently in Gonaives spending some time with an incredible missionary couple. They are great friends of my grandparents and I've heard so much about their ministry. It's a huge privilege to get to see it! They have been incredible as I've processed and prayed through this time. This definitely isn't how I pictured my first few months in Haiti.
On Monday we will be traveling to Cap-Haitien where I will be hanging out and helping where needed until March 8. Then I will be moving to the EBAC orphanage and teaching 2nd grade.
Through this experience God has reminded me that before any person, organization, or work...I'm here for Him. I needed that! It's easy to get caught up in helping people in need, they are everywhere in Haiti, and forget to take care of yourself spiritually.

\Thank you all so much for your love and support! If you have ANY questions about this sudden change, please email me. I will be more than happy to share as much as I feel God is okay with.

"But you do not know what will happen tomorrow! Your life is like a mist. You can see it for a short time, but then it goes away. So you should say, 'if the Lord wants, we will live and do this or that.'"
                                                                                                                                                      -James 4:14-15

Jenny has been at EBAC for about 4 weeks now and LOVES it!  Any parent knows that when your kid is happy, you’re happy!  I can tell such a difference in her during our phone conversations and it makes my heart happy! In addition to teaching, she has started two Bible studies with the older girls at EBAC, and has a heart for the “street kids” who don’t attend EBAC but come hang out all day there.  She feeds them and loves on them.  In fact, she has them hooked on Nutella and bread.  So, pretty much every box we send her has to include a giant jar of Nutella!  Surprisingly, she can get it in Haiti, but it’s $15 US for a jar. 

She flew this past week to Port-au-Prince to get her residency papers.  New laws enacted in February say she has to have them.  Missionaries who have been there for years have never had them, but now have to get theirs too.  Remy, one of our awesome translators, met her there and walked her through the process.  It was an all-day affair that was hysterical when she was telling me about it, but not so much when she was in the middle of it!  First of all, she had to prove that she had at least $100 in her Haitian bank account, which she had exactly $100, but they charged her $23 to print a piece of paper saying that which dropped her account to $77.  She tried to put money back into the account with her debit card, but because it doesn’t have raised numbers the Haitians told her it was counterfeit and wouldn’t accept it.  She had Haitian money on her, but they wanted American.  She figured that one out, went to Immigration and was told they wouldn’t accept her birth certificate because…wait for it…it’s in ENGLISH!  So, they had to track down someone at one of the universities who could translate it!  What a fiasco!  She didn’t get her papers on Monday, but should have them by next week.  You’ve gotta love Haiti!

While she was at YWAM she picked up a parasite from something she ate or drank.  She was REALLY sick for a few of weeks, but finally listened to her mom and went to see a doctor at the Haitian clinic in Cap.  They took 3 vials of blood (with a diabetes testing kit, because that’s all they have).  Jenny said it hurt like crazy and took forever to get 3 vials out of her fingers!  She won’t let me tell about the other samples they took, but let’s just say they handed her a little cup and a matchbox!  She told me it was a good thing I wasn’t there with her because we would have been rolling on the floor laughing and gotten nothing accomplished!  Anyway, they decided she has an amoeba and put her on 2 REALLY strong antibiotics for 30 days.  Needless to say, when she comes home for a visit in May, she’ll be seeing her family doctor.

Saturday is our day to talk for hours.  I go through a phone card a week because I not only get to talk to Jenny, but also several of my “grandkids” have to say hello!  Last week she told me she was washing her clothes with a wringer-washer and hanging them out to dry while rocking a baby to sleep…her exact words “Mom, this is the life!”  Ah, I love that kid!  She has grown up so much in just a few short months.  I probably won’t recognize her when she comes home to visit. 

I want to personally thank all of you for your prayers for her over the last several months (and years for some of you) and for your financial support.  There’s no way she would be able to do this without both.  It has been a trying time and a rewarding time these past few months.  We have seen God work in miraculous ways as she has had to rely totally on Him.  And Bill and I have had to rely on the belief that she’s safer in the center of God’s will than anywhere else on earth.  At times that’s been hard.  We’ve just wanted to “get on a plane and bring her home.”  But, Haiti is her other home.  In fact, the Haitians call her a Creole word, I'm not even going to try to spell it, which means light-skinned Haitian.  She told some of the kids that when she gets to heaven she’s going to ask Jesus to make her black so she’ll finally match them. 

So thankful God knows the plans He has for her.  Plans for good and not for disaster.  Plans to give her a hope and a future. 

God bless,

Missy