Summer time!

As I see all of the "Back to School" posts on Facebook, I realize that back to school for me is also just around the corner. Cite Lumiere Christian School begins the first week of September. Soon I will be organizing my classroom, attending meetings, and getting all my lesson plans in order. But before all that, I want to reminisce about my summer.

 Church
As grateful as I am to be able to watch The Bayou online most Sundays, there is nothing quite like gathering with my church family in person. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing familiar faces and giving plenty of hugs. I also did not have to worry about slow internet connection which is always a plus. It was the first time in nine months that I attended a church and understood what everyone was saying. Don't get me wrong; I LOVE Haitian church services but I still do not have a strong grasp of the language so I feel like I miss out on so much. I absolutely love my church and am incredibly thankful for being able to attend as much as I could!!!!

Roadtrip 
My friend Sara graciously offered her spare bedroom to me this summer. It was a huge blessing to be so close to Lafayette. Her graciousness did not end there though; she also invited me to tag along on her vacation through the Smokey Mountains to Knoxville, Tennessee. We drove through the ATL with an ice cream stop that also provided shelter from a major storm. We stayed in an AirBNB in North Carolina while we white water rafted and zip lined the Nantahala. We then drove the scenic route through the mountains stopping at Clingman's Dome and Cades Cove. We even had a picnic by the river that unfortunately was rained out. After a pit stop in Gatlinburg, we headed to Knoxville to see our friend Coleen. One of my favorite parts of the trip was driving the Blue Ridge Mtns to Asheville. I did most of the driving and it was quite fun!

Ohio  

Shortly after returning from our exciting road trip, I began preparing for my annual trip to Ohio to volunteer at Alive Music Festival. I have been volunteering there for the past seven years and I absolutely love it. From all the prep work beforehand to spending time with my fellow volunteers and everything in between like interacting with guests and getting no sleep is a thrill ride that keeps bringing me back. It is an exhausting week but completely worth it for the relationship and seeing God at work in people's lives. 

Niagara Falls 

After Alive, I decided to drive to New York and visit Niagara Falls. Everyone told me to go on the Canadian side because the view was better; they were right. I went into Canada around dusk-side note, they do not stamp your passport which bummed me out- I found a parking lot that usually cost $10 but it was free! The falls were stunning to see as the sun was setting; the only negative was I did not get great pictures because of the midst and bad lighting. I was able to see the lights they shine on the falls at night which was fabulous. I returned to states and found a place to rest for the night. The next day, I walked around the US side of the falls and even rode the Maid of the Mist, a boat which brings you into the horseshoe of the falls. Unfortunately my phone died so I did not get pics from the boat. Regardless, I loved the falls and it was worth the trip even though I was utterly exhausted from the previous week.   

Nunemakers  

I wanted to drive through the northeastern states of Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, but due to my being extremely tired, I decided to go to Pennsylvania instead and spend time with my adopted brothers. To my delightful surprise, Lee and Tina had just returned to the States from Haiti so I was able to spend time with them as well. Besides bowling and a trip to High Rock, we mainly chilled playing games and watching a movie. It ended up being very restful for me. I drove to Nashville to see a friend but her in-laws were in town so it didn't work out. I had plans to visit friends in Texas but that did not work out either. I went to Baton Rouge and stayed with the Phillips family for a week, which was just what my soul needed. I returned back to Lafayette after three weeks away to begins preparations of my return to Haiti.

Fundraising

In the midst of all my summer fun, I worked on raising the funds to return to Haiti to teach for another year. I put together a presentation board and used a number system to raise funds. While I have not met my goal, I am confident that God will provide and I will be able to complete the task He has given to me.

If you are interested in being used by God to support me, you can either go here  and place the amount you would like to donate next to my name; or you can mail a check made out to RMI with Joslynn Stakes in the memo line to:

RMI

 5475 Lee Street, Suite 301

  Lehigh Acres, FL 33971