Instead, I would like to use this little white screen as a opportunity to light a candle for our extended family.
Haiti, the tiny half-island, is a special place to us. Kirsti (my brother's lovely wife, Kedzie's deliverer, and our beloved sister-in-law) spent most of her childhood in Limbe, in the northern part of the country. Her parents, Nancy and Steve, have been medical missionaries there for decades. After several years back in the states, they returned to Haiti to work as community organizers, helping small clinics offer needed medical care. Steve and Nancy have taught us what it is to hear a call in your life and follow it. They are intentional, peaceful, gentle, genuine and honest. Steve and Nancy, the entire James family, has taken us into their fold, and we are better because of it.
Nancy and Steve were here when the earthquake happened, scheduled to return to Haiti the next day. Somehow, they made it back, and early reports indicate that the northern margins of the country are much less affected then the southern devastation. Knowing the culture, the language, the gatekeepers and the way there, Steve immediately packed up a truck, including a few fellow doctors, and headed toward Port-au-Prince. His goal is to survey the scene, work with organizations already there, assess the needs and return home to develop a plan. And that's where we are now. Needless to say, communication is difficult. Steve's satellite phone is spotty and inconsistent. Nancy is in their home in Limbe doing all she can to not wonder herself silly.
So, we light a candle for our family, who are following a call that takes them very, very far away. Hopefully, the light will hold them up, and maybe even spill into the shadows of a place that was already desperate before this horrible week.
If you're interested, you can support Steve and Nancy directly here:
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