Ah... relief. Mac's home from Haiti, and I'm one thankful wife.

After five giant hugs (and then some), the kids and I gathered around our Man as he downloaded his pictures on the computer; of course, each one had a story. I loved the tenderness in Mac's voice as he spoke of the people, combined with the toughness of the job that he was able to fulfill while there. He spent a week, giving, giving, giving, and said he felt a little guilty for leaving his "post." The need is still so great. Thankfully, an orthopedic team arrived the very day he and Rick flew out of Jacmel. Please "hear" his own words of gratitude:

Thank you all for praying for me while in Haiti. God was good to us and allowed us to help many people. We did more than thirty surgeries, treating severe fractures of both arms and legs. We told the Haitians of God's love for them and that we came to tell them about Jesus; we wanted to give them hope... spiritual and physical hope.

I asked Mac questions like:

"What did you eat?" (rice, beans, and goat);

"Where did you sleep?" (in a bunk bed with my clothes on, ready to race out of the orphanage in case of another aftershock);

"What about the devastation?" (immense, overwhelming, heart-breaking);

"What about the people?" (friendly, appreciative, tough-as-nails, non-complainers even with their terrible fractures--amazing).

I will close out this Haiti adventure with one more question I asked Mac: "Was there a particular Bible verse that kept going through your head while you were in Jacmel?"

Without hesitation, he responded, "Yes, I John 3:17; it's what got me there." It reads:

But whoever has the worlds goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in Him?

Mac went with his goods--his surgical gifts--and took God's love to the hurting people of Haiti. For seven days he and Rick were able to give them ... ah ... relief. Mac went to Haiti, and I am one thankful wife.

I am all too familiar with the term "emotional roller coaster." But I have to confess, this past week will definitely be one for the personal record books. Mac's trip to Haiti, of course, "locked me in" for a topsy-turvy ride. Since roller coasters are enjoyed (or not!) on an individual basis, I will let you decide where each of these emotions belong on the tracks:

FEAR-- My "ride" started here, with the what ifs coming, just like the clack-clack-clack of the train slowly ascending: What if the six-seater puddle-jumper Mac's on takes a plunge into the ocean-blue?... What if an after shock catches him at the "wrong place" at the "wrong time"? ... What if ...? You name it, and not only did I think it, I lived it.

JOY--Then a phone call from my honey would send me sailing! He's safe; he's good. And he's safely doing God's good work. I felt a surge of joy when I heard that he helped bring a newborn into this world. And then another heart pounding rush came when I read this update:

Mac spoke this morning in a church about his call to come and help the people of Jacmel. He was able to share with them that the reason he was there was because of the great love of Jesus. He shared the gospel with all who were there and then they returned to their operation clinic to resume surgeries again.

With this information, I wanted to do a loop-de-loop with my hands in the air. I absolutely love Mac's love for Jesus!

CONFUSION--Roller coasters "boggle" my mind--am I going up or down, right or left?-- As I was reminded in church this past Sunday, I am "glued" (the Hebrew meaning of the word "cleave") to my husband. So all week, it has seemed odd that he's there in chaos, and I'm here in comfort. While he's fixing broken bones in a make-shift tent, I'm folding loads of laundry in my red-brick house? While he's using a surgical knife on hurting Haitians, I'm spreading peanut butter for my "hungry" kids? While he's sleeping on a cot in an orphanage, I'm snoozing under my electric blanket? The Bible tells me I am one with him, and I believe it. We are knit together in love. For now, however, our "calls" are vastly diverse, and a world apart.

RELIEF-- This emotion is experienced when the roller coaster makes its entrance into the loading/un-loading zone and comes to a complete stop. In other words, Lord willing, it will occur when my babe's big old GMC truck pulls into our garage on Thursday afternoon. Ah... he's home. And when he walks through our door, Maggie, Bink, Davis, Emmy, and I will all embrace the "doctor who went to Haiti" as their very own (until the next time). We will all say with relief, "Thanks for going to them, and thanks for coming back to us."

PEACE THROUGHOUT--I must say these emotions were/are very real--up, down, loop around. BUT, I will also say, no matter the emotion, I have learned that I am never alone. I must choose to take every feeling and ground it in my faith. God is my "steady." So, I may be weeping, laughing, hollering, or sighing on the outside; however, on the inside:

My soul waits in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. Psalm 61:5

Yes, I will continue to hold on to my God tightly; and He promises to keep His strong hold on me... as He sits right by my side ... on my all too familiar emotional roller coaster.

I am praying...

Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might. (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

These girls received prostheses in PhiladelphiaI am praying for my husband's hands. Through a brief and broken phone conversation late last night, Mac informed me of the continuous flow of surgical operations he has done since his arrival in Jacmel, Haiti. Yesterday's day lasted from 7:30 am-11 pm. The surgeries range from various fractures--hip, tibia, femur, foot--to limb amputations. Lives are being saved. I am praying that Mac and Rick, his surgical assistant, will have God's strength and might in their hands as they continue to provide medical healing to the masses of Haitians that are lined up waiting for care.

I am praying...

How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things! (Romans 10:15)

I am praying for my husband's (beautiful?) feet. As you can imagine, standing over an operating table all these hours has to be exhausting to Mac and Rick, not only physically but also emotionally. How does one cut off a limb to save a life without being affected with sadness and grief in the midst of the necessary care? I am praying for steadfastness as they stand on their Rock of strength, even though the ground has rumbled beneath them. (These aftershocks truly rattled Mac's nerves at the time it happened). I am praying that their medical care will bring good things to these people. And I am praying that each patient laying on the operating table will personally feel the love of Jesus Christ through the two men standing over them.

I am thankful that Mac and Rick were able to step away from the operating table this morning and stand in a worship service together; what a privilege to praise their God along side of the hurting but hope-filled Haitians. Mac said the message of the Good News was dynamic and that many people prayed to receive Christ as their Savior. Now this is reason for each of us to get on our own two feet and jump up and down with joy!

How ironic to me (but not to God) that Mac and Rick are staying at the Hands and Feet Orphanage in Jacmel. If you would like to see where they are staying and get a closer feel to the conditions over there, please check out this wonderful organization's web site at: http://handsandfeetproject.org/home.php. I am so thankful Mac is locking arms with these compassionate people.

For now I am praying... I am praying... I am praying. Thank you for doing the same. One thing I know for sure, when my husband gets home, I will hold his gifted hand and massage his beautiful (yes, beautiful) feet.

My husband Mac, an orthopedic surgeon, was glued to the news as the tragedies of the earthquake in Haiti unfolded--devastation, destruction, death. From the very first media report he kept saying, "I wish I could go"..."I need to be there"..."people are dying"..."I can help"...and then a resounding, "I've got to get to Haiti."

So I prayed, "Lord, if he's meant to go, open the door."

... phone calls, emails, texts, organization, tentative planning, coming together...

Mac woke me at 11:15 pm this Tuesday and said, "Chris, it's happening, I'm leaving tomorrow." Reality opened the floodgate of my heart, and the tears (of fear, of worry, of love) poured out. He told me he wanted to be someone that ran to the battle line, not away from it. I held my hero close, and prayed... "O God, bring him back to me."

Wednesday morning I woke the kids, Maggie(18), Bink(17), Davis(14), and Emmy (12), and told them the news of their Daddy's quick departure. We all met in the kitchen, speechless, but not emotionless; the air was thick with deep, deep love. Mac hugged each one--goodness, how they adore their daddy, and how he adores them. Bink called 30 minutes later on his way to school and asked pleadingly, "Daddy, is there any possible way I can go with you?".

I want to share a few verses from the chapter that our family just finished memorizing over the fall semester. Remember, God is always in front of us, preparing our hearts:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change, and the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride ... the Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. (Psalm 46:1-3,7)

I must tell you, I've never loved my husband more than I do right now. I love his eagerness to leave all behind and then go "through the door" towards chaos and danger in order to help desperate people. I love seeing Christ in him. And I love that he knows and claims that God is his stronghold, both here in Brentwood, TN, and there in Haiti.

Right now, I pray that he has landed safely on the little air-strip in Jacmel, a city 30 miles south of Port au Prince; he will performing surgeries there at a medical site for a week. I also pray that he and Rick, his faithful assistant, will be the hands and feet of Christ to hundreds and hundreds of Haitians, giving them not only healing but also Hope.

And then, I will pray ... that God will open the door... and bring him back to me.