I am inspired a lot these days. There’s so much going on in the world around us and I have the internet to browse, also full of great and many things people are up to in the world. I am challenged in the ways that I think, I am often encouraged to think outside of the box and I am always learning something new.

But, also, I am tired. I am tired of relentlessly trying to do the “right” thing as we attempt missions and community development done right in Haiti and the DR. I am tired of feeling like we take one step forward and two backwards often. I am tired because it feels like I can never do enough- translating many times into that I might not be enough; that God in me, even, might not be enough.

I think there’s a problem. Somewhere along the way, we complicated things. We decided to try and make things even more overwhelming. We feel competitive instead of encouraged. We feel insecure rather than excited. We overlook all that we are doing, being used for and how God is working because of the comparison that so often takes over our daily lives. This week, in particular, I have been checking myself. I want to keep it simple.

Simple like knowing what we are about here in Haiti. Simple like knowing that what we do is a representation of our faith in Jesus and we trust He will use us and guide us. Simple like we don’t have time to judge the actions of others when we are trying to live out developmental practices with our friends here. Simple like looking at the faithfulness of God.

As I am reminded of the simplicity we need to embrace in our lives, I was also given a pretty tangible result to that this week. We were able to spend some time with our wonderful mentors and friends, the Bithers, who run Haiti Endowment Fund. In addition to the many chats we were able to have (more on that later), we were also able to check up on our tanks in the villages there. Having not seen them for over a year, we were expecting some tanks needing to be fixed. What we found, however, were 3 beatiful tanks which the community has taken ownership of. We were so blessed to talk with our friends there and continue to hear about the needs of the community and how the tanks have alleviated some of the water needs.

Simple can be exciting, too.

May we continue to run with endurance this race set before us.

A Papaye native fetching clean drinking water from the catchment tank built by some of the men in his community. 

This gate serves as a way to ration out water for the community and keeps the peace a little more. 

Our friend, Zach, is pictured here with two of the three guys we trained from Papaye. Catching up with them and hearing about the tanks has been such a highlight for us!

David, our Community Director from Jeremie, was able to get a glimpse into what could be a goal in his community. We had such a good time with him being in Hinche!

Cindy and Kevin- some of the most wonderful people in the world! They have really taken us under their wings and we are so thankful. Here they are by a Women’s Center in Los Palis, a village in Hinche. They built this locally designed and inspired center in a year! They are amazing!

Ryan with the our friend, Pastor Abner, from Papaye. So glad to see one another.

May we continue to see the simple in what we know our small, humble role is in this life.