It is a Fine Line

Thanks to all of you who responded to my plea for "rice"! I have to give a shout out to my sister who gave enough money for 4 bags of rice, you are awesome and your generosity is so appreciated.

On another note, I have often pondered about the fine line of giving service and always being a "yes" person. I was taught that we should be willing to give service even when it is not always convenient and I have tried to do that for the most part. But I think there is a fine line of offering service or helping out those in need and becoming a doormat! My question is where is the line? Many years ago I did daycare, we needed the money at the time and I had already volunteered to watch my cute little niece, the problem was when someone from church cornered me and since I was "just a stay at home mom" guilted me into watching her kids also. At first I was ok with this like I said we needed the money. This mom was a school teacher and so I only watched her kids during the school year so I thought that wasn't so bad, and the first year was ok. I had great intentions of telling her that I really couldn't watch her kids for the next year, but she had a way of talking to me that made me feel guilty if I said no, so I said yes again for that year and yes again for the 3rd year. I was a doormat! I could not say no because she needed me and I didn't want to hurt her feelings and after all I was "just a stay at home mom"! Finally the circumstances changed and I was able to stop the daycare! The only thing is, I traded quality time with my kids in order to watch this ladies children whom I really grew to dislike all because I didn't have the guts to say no.

Well, it has been about 13 years since this experience and I have learned a lot! I have learned to say no and that it is ok and I have also learned to accept a no and not take it personal! So why am I bringing this up after all of these years? McKenzie is off in 40 days (yep we are still keeping a count down) and there are so many lessons in life that I want to make sure she learns before she is out the door, this is one of them, that it is ok to say no don't be a doormat! A quote from Elder Perry struck me as very fitting to this topic and he was quoting from "The New Dictionary of Thought" (whatever that is) " that a man's character is in reality, himself." " His reputation is the opinion others have formed of him. Character is in him. Reputation is from other people. Character is the substance. Reputation is the shadow."

So McKenzie go about doing good, helping others, giving service. But don't do it when the price is too high, don't do it when you know it is not the right thing for you to do, don't let someone try to guilt you into doing something and using the Lord or prayer as ammunition.

Hope For the Little Angels of Haiti

Our Adoption agency had sent out a letter asking for help to feed the children in the orphanage (see letter below). The food prices are so high and they are needing to feed 50 children 3 meals a day that is a lot of food even if they are only eating rice and beans. I am one of those kinds of people that really hate to ask for anything it is really hard for me, but this isn't for me this is for 50 children that because of where they were born and the color of their skin are left without parents. These children would probably have died if it wasn't for the loving people who have taken them in, hoping to find a better home for them.
I still question why we were lead to adopt again and why Haiti? After meeting our little girl I know, without a doubt, that she belongs in our home. My heart aches daily for her, I want to take care of her, read her a book, watch her discover all the wonders of life, hold her hand, but I can't. So for now I can send aid to make sure she is getting the food she so desperately needs and I am asking all of you who read my blog if you could spare the price of a bag of rice $52.00 and in so doing know that you are making a difference in the life of 50 precious children in an orphanage 3000 miles away in Haiti.
Our Orphanage now has a web site there is a cute picture of Ellie with a not so cute picture of me as well. The link is http://www.hopeforlittleangelsofhaiti.org

April 17, 2008

Dear Friends of Hope for the little Angels of Haiti,

We are writing this letter to ask for your help with the current situation in Haiti.
The United States Department of State issued a Travel warning on April 11, 2008.
(http://travel.state.gov ) Here is part of that statement. “Protesters angered by high food prices filled the streets of Port-au-Prince, forcing businesses and schools to close. Demonstrations continue and have frequently turned violent with firing of weapons, rock throwing, tire-burning, erection of street barricades, and looting. The violence has forced most people to stay indoors and stranded others in isolated locations.”

Reading this paragraph is heart breaking, knowing that the people of Haiti have turned to violence because they are starving and cannot afford food. Please know that the children in the orphanage, at this time still have food to eat, but with prices of food on the rise it will be difficult to continue to buy food and supplies for the children. Most of you have already been involved in raising money and supplies for this sweet little orphanage and we are greatly appreciative of your efforts. We are just asking that everyone let your friends and family know that we are in Immediate need of sending money to Haiti to help off set the cost of food.

Current food prices in Haiti:

1 50kg (110 lbs) of rice is 2000gds. ($52.28us)

1 50kg (110 lbs.) of beans is 3000gds ($78.43us)

1 bottle of cooking oil is 300gds ($7.84)

This gives you a little idea of the basic costs of food in Haiti. We are also asking families that will be going on the next couple of parent trips to bring these food items, along with formula and medicines such as children’s and infants Tylenol as your donations, of course all other donations are needed and will be gladly taken. We just want to be sure that the children have food to eat!

Donations are tax deductible and can be made out and sent to:

Wasatch International Adoptions
3577 Washington Blvd.
Ogden Ut. 84403
(Be sure to write food relief: hope for the little Angels of Haiti on your checks)

Sincerely,
Nichole Hayden
Haiti Coordinator---Hope for the Little Angels of Haiti

Chareyl Moyes
Haiti program Manager---Wasatch International Adoptions

P.S. The checks could be given to me and I will mail them to Wasatch Adoptions.

Cute Kids!

I have a niece that lives in Utah. When she was younger she would come and visit Scott and I wherever we lived (except Korea). She would sleep over at our house all the time and we would take her with us as often as we could. Well, this niece is now all grown up and has 2 very cute kids! We miss them! When BreeAnn was a baby I would babysit her once a week until we moved. She is quite the funny character. She likes to act like she is all grown-up! She says the funniest things. Braden is all boy and is sweet as can be. Unfortunately, I get all of this information second hand because we live so far away, so keep the funny stories coming I love to hear them!

Double Digit Midget

Kenzie at the Silver Stars Banquet

When we were in the Air Force and getting ready for a big move we would countdown the days left until we moved. This was huge for us while we were in Korea we kept a constant countdown until we could leave. Once we made it to under 100 days the term "double digit midget" was used to let everyone know that we were counting down the days! Well last night Kenzie told us that in 55 days she will be gone! She has entered the double digit countdown of her time left until she graduates and leaves for bigger and better things. This is a countdown we are not quite ready for. As parents have we taught her everything she needs to know to face difficult challenges in the "real world"? Have we instilled in her the values that have been so important to us? Will she be able to be steadfast and immovable in her values? Does she know how much we love her as her parents, and how much more her Father in Heaven loves her?

We had the competitive cheer team "Silverstars" banquet last night and Kenzie was honored for all that she brought to the team over the last three seasons. It was mentioned last night that she was the only cheerleader ever to be given a key to the building, so there has been a lot of trust placed in her. She has learned a lot from cheer and from a wonderful coach who took her in and made her grow and become a better person, the road was bumpy at times, but well worth the journey.

We are so proud of McKenzie she has faced a lot of challenges in her life and has already learned so many life lessons and is mature and wise beyond her years. I have great faith that she will continue to rise to the challenges she will face and she will become a great and wonderful adult.

Life is Back to Normal in Haiti

Finally, some good news! The riots have stopped and it seems that life is back to normal for now in Haiti. The President has asked the Prime Minister to step down, he was in charge of bringing the people together and making life better for the Haitians, obviously, he was not doing his job. The President also called for a reduction in the cost of rice by half as much. The problem is not so much the government's fault but it is the rich Haitians or others that are importing the food and then charging more and more for the food. The people don't have any other options, such as, "well I think I will by my rice from Albertson's from now on instead of Fred Meyer" they are in a situation where if they want to eat to stay alive they find a way to buy rice. They may only get 1 meal of rice instead of 2 meals of rice when the cost of rice soars. It is sad and I really can't imagine the struggle for daily food that takes place for most of the Haitian population, how does one think of anything else when you know that your children are starving? Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti, they are survivors in the truest sense!

More on Haiti

Here is some more information that I have seen today come across one of the blogs that I read!
This is a picture of a lady in Haiti making one of the staple foods for the poor in Haiti it consists of water oil and dirt. They make these little disks and dry them in the sun and sell them to eat.

Thursday, April 10, 2008: The situation is still fragile; however, things are, in general, relatively calm.

This morning 6:00 AM, the situation of Haiti, principally in Port-au-Prince (PAP) is as follows:

1. It is still early; however, there are a few merchants (street sellers) taking a chance to set up their small businesses but it seems that the majority of people are staying home.

2. Plenty of people on the streets attempting to go about their daily activities but there are is no public transportation available. PAP continues to be paralyzed. At the intersection of Delmas 33, there are a group of aggressive young people that have rocks and continue to block this area so there is no traffic circulation.

3. At this moment there are no groups of people participating in demonstrations.

Important points from President Preval’s Speech Yesterday. He asked…..

1. senators to take a 10% salary reduction to help the people.

2. deputies to stop wasting money on things they don’t need.

3. people to pay their taxes

4. people to stop the disorder and destruction of businesses, etc.

A Positive Action Taken Yesterday Afternoon:

After the President spoke, the assembly of ministers had a meeting and came to the decision that the Prime Minister Jacquet Edouard Alexis should step down. The majority of the assembly, i.e. 16 of the 27 members agreed and wrote a letter to Alexis asking him to voluntarily resign his post in 24 hours (which would be at 4pm April 10, 2008) or they would submit a letter to the President for further action for his dismission. The assembly came to this decision because the country has a serious economic problem that needs immediate resolution. It is noted that the Haitian people have been asking for Alexis to step down for many months. If Prime Minister Alexis steps down, this would be seen as a positive action in the eyes of the people and an action that would calm them and cause them to listen attentively to the suggestions recommended for stabilizing the country.

I also received an e-mail from our trip coordinator today and she had this to say:
Harry cannot even leave the orphanage except to get food for the kids. He takes a risk even doing that he said. Haiti has had extreme moments throughout the time I have been working with it. It comes and goes quickly. If we are a few days out from our trip and Harry or Nadia felt it was unsafe we would cancel the trip. I do trust their judgment though and would never want to put our lives, the lives of the children, or Nadia and Harry at risk. So for, right now, it is just too early to tell if it will be canceled or not.
Please pray that the situation in Haiti calms down, that the government in Haiti will figure out a way to feed their people. Really I care about their plight but I have very selfish reasons why I want calm in Haiti.

Inflation Haiti Style

With the high prices of gas now trickling down into everyday life necessities such as the higher price of groceries, we have felt the crunch at our house. For us this means that we don't go out to eat, as much. We are looking at the price of food a little closer, but still buying our favorite expensive ice cream and the other non-essentials that we enjoy and maybe cutting back on things that we don't really like as much. So we have felt the "pinch" of higher prices, but my kids won't go hungry, they will still get 3 square meals a day with plenty of snacking in between.

I wish I could say the same for the people of Haiti. They have been in a desperate situation for a long time now but with the higher price of food and gas hitting everywhere (a gallon a gas there is now $7.50 - $8.00 when we were there in Jan it was around $6.00) they are left with no options. We were planning on being in Haiti this week and I was very disappointed when it was canceled but was happy to have it rescheduled for June. There are 2 articles that came out today one from the AP and the other from CNN.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Protesters angered by high food prices flooded the streets of Haiti's capital Monday, forcing businesses and schools to close as unrest spread from the countryside.

Witnesses said at least one person was killed by hotel security guards during a protest in the southern city of Les Cayes, where at least three people were killed Friday in food riots and clashes with U.N. peacekeepers. Police said they were investigating.

Thousands of people marched mostly peacefully past the National Palace in Port-au-Prince. "We're hungry," some called out. Others carried posters reading "Down with the expensive life!"

Haitians are particularly affected by food prices that are rising worldwide. Eighty percent of the population lives on less than US$2 (euro1.27) a day. The cost of staples such as rice, beans, fruit and condensed milk has gone up 50 percent in the past year, while the cost of pasta has doubled.

"Some can't take the hunger anymore," the Rev. Gerard Jean-Juste told The Associated Press. "As a priest, I encourage all government officials to do their best to find ways to solve the near-famine situation."

The U.N. World Food Program made an urgent appeal for donations Monday to support its operations in Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned last week that the food crisis could threaten Haiti's already fragile security.

(CNN) -- The World Food Programme on Monday appealed to the international community for money to support its operations in Haiti, where at least four people have died during two days of rioting over the price of food.

"Riots in Haiti underline the additional need for lifesaving food assistance," said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran in a written statement. "At this critical time, we need to stand with the people of Haiti and other countries hardest hit by rising food prices."

Thousands of demonstrators on Monday marched through the streets of Haiti's capital, Port au Prince. Their dissatisfaction was underscored by piles of tires belching thick black smoke into the air.

Several stores were raided and looted and some cars were torched, said Samuel Madistin, a lawyer in Port-au-Prince.

"We're hungry, there are no jobs," said Joseph Orange, an out-of-work translator in Port au Prince. "It's really a problem."

"The cost of living is kind of high, and people don't have any purchasing power," said Georges Brunet, a professor of economics in the capital, where students made up many of the demonstrators. "They are university students with no future," he said. "They are hoping to get some revenues to make ends meet.

"Maybe the government will wake up and start making some long-lasting commitments to people," he added.

On Friday, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti said the situation was tense in the southwestern town of Les Cayes a day after demonstrations over the rising cost of living there led to an attack against the U.N. office.

Protesters broke into the U.N. compound, ignored warning shots and stole from two containers, the mission reported.

They burned shops, threw rocks and fired weapons at some of the U.N. workers, though none of the U.N. workers were injured.

A report by the secretary-general on the U.N. stabilization mission in Haiti, written March 26 and delivered Monday to the U.N. Security Council, noted that Haitians' hardship had been exacerbated by recent price hikes and said, "The political situation remains fragile."

The U.N. food agency first appealed last month for $500 million to help offset an estimated 55 percent increase in the price of food and fuel since last June.

Malnutrition is particularly acute in Haiti, where the average Haitian diet contains just 1,640 calories, 460 calories short of the typical 2,100 daily requirement, the agency said.

WFP said it has received only 13 percent ($12.4 million) of the $96 million it needs to help 1.7 million people in Haiti.

"What we see in Haiti is what we're seeing in many of our operations around the world -- rising prices that mean less food for the hungry," said WFP's Sheeran. "A new face of hunger is emerging: even where food is available on the shelves, there are now more and more people who simply cannot afford it."

GO STORM!!

Katie had cheer leading tryouts for the High School team this week! Even though she has been a competitive cheer leader for 3 years she was still nervous! Even though McKenzie was one of the judges she was still nervous! (And for the record Kenzie said she did not play favorites!) She went to all the clinics and worked at home with Kenzie and another friend to master the cheer and dance! On the day of the tryouts nerves got the best of her and she forgot part of the dance but did well on everything else! After sweating it out all day the results were posted and She is now a Storm Cheerleader!!! Along with her best friend and other friends from cheer she will be on the sidelines this coming football season! Way to go Katie and Summer!!