After a long hiatus...

MoneySavingMom posted this saying today, and I think it pretty much sums up my life right now. Our family of 4 is headed to Haiti in a month. This is something I never anticipated or planned, but God did. He knew this long before I did. He worked on my heart for months to get me to the point that I can say that I am EXCITED to be going to Haiti with my boys in tow. You see nine months ago I told God that there was no way I could go to Haiti with our boys. I was nervous because of Vance's recent health issues (that turned out not to be anything major- PTL!) I had my reasons, but mainly I wasn't ready to leave it all in God's hands. How we love to live in our comfort zone! Well, come September 15 we are flying out of our comfort zone and making our way to a place that Jeremy has worked and lived off and on for 18 months. Yes, 18 months. How time flies! Can I say how excited I am that for the first time since March 2010 the boys and I will be with Jeremy for 4 months straight (Aug.-Dec.)? I couldn't be happier, nor could the boys! God is so good!

Thankfully God is our guide, our protector, and our fortress. And as Samuel sings (mainly chants), "God, you are all powerful and in control of all things." Yes, Samuel, He is! We need not fear, my sweet boy!

That being said we still need your prayers as we make this journey. Please pray for us as we prepare to leave. Please pray for God to provide for all of our needs- financial, physical, emotional, and spiritual-as we prepare to leave and while we are there. In Haiti my job will be to homeschool our boys and also to help with the mission teams that come to build rubble homes and stay at our "compound". We will live at a safe place, but naturally, we will still be living in a country that has obvious risks. You can pray for our health and safety. Please add to that Vance's lungs in a humid place with no a/c. You can also pray for God to use this time for us to grow even closer as a family and to also love on the Haitian people we meet. Pray we are salt and light to a people in need of Christ. Pray lastly (but not least) for God to protect our boys from any fear that might come from being in a strange place far away from home.

Keeping up with a blog became next to impossible for me with 2 kids, but now that we are headed to Haiti, I am having second thoughts about leaving it behind. After all, a blog would help me keep in touch with family and friends that I won't talk to or see. That being said I am going to attempt to post from Haiti, but I am going to go private before we leave. If you would like to keep up with us, please send me your email address, and I will add you.

We have been so busy that the thought of catching up is daunting, but I would like to share a few recent pictures.


Jeremy's Dad's visit- April 2011

Easter Egg fun


Samuel at the AWANA Awards Night- April 10, 2011

Brotherly love- April 2011

Samuel's 5th birthday balloons (a Holloman tradition)
Marianna's 36th Birthday

Samuel's Pre-K Graduation- May 2011

Marianna's first trip to Haiti- June 1-8, 2011

10 Year Anniversary Trip to Dominican Republic (2 months early)

Vance's 3rd Birthday

Family Vacation to Waynesville, NC and the house of some dear friends- July 30-Aug. 4, 2011


Blessings!
Marianna