We officially have 2 days left in Petit Goave, Haiti which makes me wonder: where did the month go?! Time just literally flew by! I find it really odd when I stop and think about these first two months on the race, they have been so amazingly different and we have 9 more months of this crazy adventure!

I have truly enjoyed our time in Haiti, there's no question of whether I would come back to do ministry here if given the opportunity.

Let me try to recap some of the happenings of the month as well as some of the amazing blessings we experienced:

-       Meeting and growing with the Yonkers > we missed you guys being here this past week!

-       Celebrating Jon's birthday in Haiti > We got to eat birthday cookies (no cake here) and I got him a coconut, which I had promised him from last year

-       Delivering and painting houses > and the most popular colours go to....cream and brown!

-       Our mountain trip to Nadoo > yes the one that took 12 hours!

-       Tap-Tap Rides > the breeze is wonderful...if you are in front of the smelly people

-       Meeting the Lighthouse Team from Michigan and watching them in action > VBS with puppets, how could it get better!?

-       Celebrating a Haitian wedding > Jean-Renee, one of our favourite guys here. He's done some of our laundry, helped us with dishes, and ran to the clinic with us to get a translator, what a great guy...sorry ladies, he's taken

-       Being blessed with bug nets! We have definitely seen a decrease in bug bites, thanks again!

-       Painting a house right on the ocean, next to a lot of rubble

-       Watching a boy climb a palm tree to get us coconuts

-       Finding a cute restaurant that serves coffee > we've done some great team devotionals there!

-       Being 10 minutes away from a red cross clinic > looking for white people since they will likely speak English and be able to help us

-       Praying for and seeing healing over Daniel > he was told he had Malaria, but now we're not really sure if that's what he had.

-       Watching a medium sized gecko eat a baby gecko > the things that entertain you on the race when you can't sleep!

-       Seeing UN trucks, guards, and helicopters around

-       Having team Transformers come visit us > it was like a great family reunion, we had coffee, cherry juice, Maccoss (yummy milk Haitian candy, like Caniitas de Leche if you're from Guate) and muffins (more like corn bread)

-       Worshiping with my team > around a citronella candle, surrounded by buckets of oatmeal and soup!

-       Taking a slightly sketchy, very leaky boat on a 20 minute ride on the ocean > towards an amazing beach, white sand, clear blue water and we were the only ones enjoying it!

-       Trying to explain to people that I'm Canadian and not Asian

-       Apologizing for not speaking French despite being Canadian

These are just some of my favourite things we did while in Haiti. It's slightly odd how fast this place became "home," I'm sad to be leaving it but I'm also so excited for what's ahead. We're heading to Ireland via JFK on Saturday - I'm excited to have some Starbucks! We'll be in Ireland for Awakening, and after that, our next country of ministry is a mystery! I would usually be freaking out over all the unknowns at the moment, but God's calling me to greater faith and trust...so I'm at total peace. He knows what's going on and AIM knows, so I'll just find out when the time is right.

Our next financial deadline is coming up on October first, we are short $883.24. If you would like to contribute towards our ministry and Godly adventure click on the "support us" link on the left. 

Do me a favour: take a minute and do a run through of your day today.

I bet there were many instances when you relied on electricity to do something.

Let me tell you a little bit about our daily activities here in Haiti:

- wake up > your alarm is other people making noise as they are getting their day started

- carry a bucket of water to the bathroom to wash your face, flush and wash your hands

- enjoy breakfast (we have been blessed with cooks at our site!)

- carry buckets of water to the back of the kitchen (where parts of the wall came down during the earthquake) and wash the dishes

- avoid Sparky while washing the dishes - Sparky is the rat that lives back there

- sweat throughout our ministry time

- eat lunch - bread and avocados have never tasted so good (repeat dishes)

- drink copious amounts of water to avoid getting dehydrated > the water is usually warm or hot since it's always really hot in Haiti 

- eat dinner, and even though you wouldn't back home you enjoy a cold coke simply because it's the only cold thing available (repeat dishes)

- Right around 6:30 when the sun goes down, you search for your headlamp since you never know if power will come on

- Get excited when power comes on, it means fans will work and keep you a bit cool

- Carry buckets of water to the bathroom for your bucket shower - bring flashlight into the bathroom just in case the power goes off

- Get really disappointed when power goes on and off for 10 minutes straight until it finally decides which one it's going to be tonight

- walk through the rubble that's still lying outside the house taking careful steps underneath the moonlight to refill your water bottle (see note on dehydration)

It's hard to think about how different your day and life can be without electricity; particularly at night when the sky is dark and it's hard to see where you're going. It's hard to imagine a country succeeding without power - how will/do they get stuff done? For the people of Haiti, this is a reality every day, however for many others in the world this reflects our spiritual lives. We rely on a tiny flashlight to direct our life when there's a huge spotlight waiting to be used, waiting to guide us, waiting to direct our path.

Jesus wants to be that spotlight for us he wants to give power to our lives. Through His word we'll be able to see and do so much that we can't without his light.

We might have light in our house at the moment, but how's our heart? Is it plugged in to the biggest source of power imaginable or is it relying on a flashlight with dying batteries to get you through the day?

I challenge you to be grateful for every moment of constant electricity that you have today, truly cherish it because it's not something everyone in the world can enjoy. At the same time, try to enjoy one of the amazing things about having no electricity: the night sky or witness the incredible beauty of a sunrise.

I had never been as exhausted in my life as I felt this past Saturday. At 4:30 Saturday morning we took off for a 6 hour hike that actually took 12 hours!

We started by taking a tap-tap to the base of the mountain and then began our hike. About 4 hours later after a few hills and a very steep climb, I was done. I broke down; I was so exhausted all I could do was cry. My team was so patient; they all just sat down and waited for me to be ready to go on. I was unsure I even wanted to continue.  Jon gave me an option: to go forward or to go back. My mind kept telling me to go back, I knew how far that was, I knew what I was going back to, I knew it'd be safe, but I wasn't alone and I didn't want to let my team down so we carried on.

We consistently got our awesome translators to ask the pastor how far we were, how much longer and all he would say is "one more mountain, just one more." After hours and hours of hearing "one more mountain," we were out of bread and out of water, I was hungry, dehydrated, and grumpy and felt completely lied to. I stopped trusting and started nagging. This didn't stop Jon from continually motivating me, saying how proud he was and urging me to rely on God's strength.

For the first time on the race, in my life, I had no idea when my next meal would be and where it would come from.

The hike reminded me of so much: of Jesus and the early apostles, how they walked everywhere to preach the gospel; of the Israelites after they left Egypt with Moses and how their complaining led them to walk the desert for 40 years; but mostly of God's strength. I had never relied on God as much I as did this past Saturday. I stopped walking at that first peak - 4 hours in, God carried me the last 8 hours; I still had to do some of the work but it wasn't my strength that carried me because I know I'm not that strong. I know I couldn't have walked for 12 hours with limited water on my own, I know I couldn't have walked in the Haitian heat that long, I know I couldn't have walked for roughly 20kms and though I had my grumpy moments I still arrived with a positive attitude.

After the 20^th "one more mountain" we arrived at Nado village. There was a feast waiting for us, one that we definitely would not have appreciated at any other time. It was the best meal of my life thus far. I won't even tell you what we ate, but let me say that even the most mundane meal can feel like a banquet after walking for 12 hours.

We all have our struggles, our mountains, but just like Jon (the pastor and the rest of my team) kept motivating me to go on; Jesus urges us press on. He knows the way, He knows how far it is, He knows the struggles we'll go through, He'll let us take our time to get there, and He knows what's waiting for us at the end of it all, He knows it'll be worth it, He knows we can make it and when we can't go on, He'll carry us the rest of the way.

I was so focused on every step I took on the way there that I was shocked by the beauty of it all on the way back. Mountains, valleys, streams, palm trees, goats, pigs, bulls, and unmistakable beauty. I missed it because I was too busy figuring out if I could keep walking. I urge you to take a minute out of your busy life today and just look around, take in the beauty and blessings in your life.

Lessons Learned: Look down at your feet on the path but also look ahead, otherwise you might hit your face with an open window and/or a branch. (Thank you God for no bruises!)

No matter the struggle don't give in to a negative attitude just chose to laugh, even if you've been hearing "one more mountain" for 10 hours.

We're in Haiti and where most TV reporters show hopelessness, despair, destruction and desperation (yes, those things are here); but there's also beauty, hope, faith and worship.

I'm falling in love with Haiti already and yesterday was my favourite day on the race so far. It started off by us being awoken by life (people walking outside, workers working, people starting their day) at around 6am. We've been beyond blessed by being partnered with the Yonker family and the Ebenezer Training Centre in Petit Goave. Already I can see our future family in them - 5 kids (I know mom I never thought that many either), 2 biological, 3 adopted (I've always had a great desire to adopt but hadn't had the chance to see it in action, funny how God's been preparing my heart to learn from this family, and they've all been here in Haiti since June (Jon's been pushing short term missions for our future for a while, the Yonkers make it seem possible).

Back to my favourite day: there hasn't been much if any support since the earthquake here in Petit Goave, the Ebenezer network of churches is the first to start building houses in the area. We were able to deliver one on our first day here and today we went to another one and got to paint it - cream with brown doors and windows! We sweated it out and drank lots of water through out the day. We then went on our first official "Tap Tap" (essentially a pick up truck full of people, to get off you tap on the side) to a mountain tent village. We, the team, along with a dozen kids that followed us, hiked up a couple of mountains until we could see the tent city and the ocean in the background, I can't describe to you the breathtaking beauty of this place. We just sat there for a while, marvelling at the amazing beauty and enjoying the cold breeze - breezes are a blessing when you're sitting at 40degree weather (105 F for those of you Americans). 

We walked down to the tent city and walked around it - I'm still grappling with the fact that these tents are their homes that everything inside it is all they've got. I have a tent, I'm technically living in it for the next 10 months, but I at least have my parents' basement to go back to. I may be carrying a 48lb backpack with all my stuff for the year, but after the year is done I have 2 suitcases full of clothes (some of which I wish I had brought) waiting for me. We have 3yr old wedding presents just waiting to be used and I'm so excited to use them. I may be living close to how the people in Haiti are living, but I have more and I have the potential to get a lot more. The one thing they have more than me though is joy. When you see joy in the tent cities you know it is God, because they don't have a lot to smile about. As I walked through the tent city with all those thoughts in my mind we stopped. Someone brought out a drum and they started singing. Immediately around 30 people surrounded us and joined in the worship. It was beautiful, joyful, and genuine.

This is why I came on the race: to worship with people in their way, to sing their songs, to worship God even when things are tough, and to help make even the slightest of change in the world.

If you want to make a real difference in Haiti, in Petit Goave, consider joining the Ebenezer Centre and help put up a house in this area. http://www.ebenezerdtc.org

For about a year and a half I've read countless World Race blogs, I've "known" that the Race stretches yourself beyond your wildest dreams, takes you to uncomfortable situations/places, partners you with people you would not otherwise meet, teaches you about the world, others, God, and most of all yourself. I've read these things, believed that it would happen to me, but I never thought it would begin right at month one.

In the past month, particularly the last week in the DR I've seen myself become a different person - yes already.

Let's start with some basic stuff: I lived for 2.5 weeks with 45 other people in a 4-bedroom house. Have you even been to my place/my parent's place? Those places get regular cleaning and given my mom's cleaning standards you are all good to eat food off the floor. This month with 45 people - that has not been the case, and if anybody ate anything off the floor....well you heard of Jon's amoeba's right? Enough said (please note, Jon did not eat off the floor).

How often do you shower? If you said "daily," then you are blessed! We were told that there was enough water in the house for everyone to have a shower every two days, but due to areas where some teams were working those teams had to shower daily - so the rest of us had to make sure there was enough water for them. While some of us took nightly showers/bucket showers, others went days without showers...let me just say that soap has never smelt so good. You could almost follow the soap scent to the person who had just showered.

This past Thursday, I did something I never thought I could...and thinking back on it, I'm not so sure how I did it. There was clearly some divine intervention, let me explain, I always get queasy when someone talks about breaking an arm, giving detail about an accident, I'm uncomfortable with being at clinics/hospitals at any given time. Last week I spent two nights at the clinic with Jon as he got better...and I didn't feel uncomfortable. I even saw blood in his IV and calmly got the nurse, I saw the nurse change IVs/needles and never felt sick. Thursday I spent the entire morning at the clinic translating for anybody who felt sick and wanted to see a Dr. before we headed to Haiti. Before the race I would have never considered asking anybody about their bowel movements, yet this is exactly what I did most of that morning, I'm talking colour, texture and regularity. I had never held someone's hand while their bandage was being changed, chosen to sit by a friend while they got an IV and sat with them for the half hour she had to be there. I really feel that God's going to show His strength in me in this area, because I know I am not that strong. I'm not the person you call when you need to go to the Dr and yet that's who He called me to be this past Thursday., I

I had also never made a new family in a month. I love my family and friends but in this past month team Green Light has really become my family; we take turns being the "mom," "dad," fun sister/brother, the responsible one, the wanderer, the protector, and the counsellor. With that said we now have to share one of our family members with another team. Our hilarious protector Mr. Blake Rushing has been called to join team Reckless, this team said goodbye to one of their own back in the first week of July and for the past month they had been working with four girls and one guy. Blake is going to be an incredible blessing to that team and though I'll miss him more than he probably will ever know he will never stop being part of my family. He may not be part of team Green Light (officially) but he will always be a great part of our Green Light family; so don't stop following his blogs, follow him all the more!

PS. After a 21 hour ride from San Juan de la Maguana, to Santo Domingo, through the Haiti border, to Port au Prince, to the Canaan Orphanage then to our current location - Petit Goave: We have made it safely into Haiti. I'm already really excited to be here and work with our contact....more on that on the next blog, stay tuned!

Jon will be uploading a video of our month in the DR, check it out on his blog :)

This week has been full of blessings and blessings in the midst of...let's say challenges.

Let's start by recapping what we've been doing on a day to day basis.

In the mornings we've been trying to run a VBS (Vacation Bible School), this week we begun teaching the kids in Villa Liberacion a few stories from the Old Testament, you know the usual: Adan y Eva, el arca de Noe, Joseph (I forget his name in Spanish, is it Josue?), Moises, David y Goliat. Some stories/skits captivated the kid's attention, we casted one of the little ones to play David without realizing that he did not want to be the centre of attention and was actually scared of Daniel -who played Goliath. We've been able to cram, I mean literally CRAM around 50 kids in the small church we're partnering with in Villa Liberacion, to sing songs and colour pictures from the stories we've taught. We then play games Simon Says/Simon Dijo/Dios Dijo, freeze dance, red light/green light and the always popular baseball.

In the afternoon - after lunch and the much needed siesta, we go out again and play games with the kids and visit people in the neighbourhood. Keep in mind that we're in the Dominican Republic and it is HOT. This time in particular is the hottest time of the day, Dominicans close stores for a couple of hours, adults and kids flock indoors and to the shade, everybody is out of the sun - everybody except for us that is. People must think we're nuts. They ask if they sun doesn't hurt us (we've all experienced some type of sun burnt and most of us are much darker than when we started) and they wonder why we would chose to play with the kids in that sun. During our home visits we've had the chance to sit with some of the families in the area and help them with their job. What do they do? They split green beans, so we sit with them chat and split some beans.

Wednesday we took the day off and celebrated our 3^rd wedding anniversary! I can hardly believe that it's been 3 years already, and oh how different all those celebrations have been. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic for our honeymoon; Jeju-Do, South Korea; Seoul, South Korea and back in the DR. Went to a nearby Mexican taqueria (delicious!), a rooftop cafeteria (gorgeous view), and had rice, beans and chickpeas for dinner with the team. Want to know what my wedding anniv present was from JB? Frosted flakes and milk! Love him, he knows just what I need.

After spending two weeks around the kids in the slums and living in a 4 bedroom house with 45 people who work in different slums the Bunfords were not feeling well. We headed to the nearby clinic and after a couple of tests we were informed that we both have amoebas - Jon more than me. We spent a couple of nights at the clinic (private bathroom, peace and quiet..TV, and AC!) so Jon could get the proper meds, sleep and rest. JB -through stomach pains- loved it all. He had a great time with visitors, got some good time alone, we got time together, and we had a great time when the whole team came to visit.

Lesson learnt this week: the kids in the slums don't wash their hands enough, wash your hands after you play patty cake with them for hours, touch a ball they toss to you, or you hold one of their hands. 

 It’s week 2 on The World Race and already it’s been a challenge seeing how people live around the world. 

We started working at Villa Liberación this week: doing a prayer walk, going door-to-door inviting people to the church and to the bible camp that’s starting next week, playing with the kids and cleaning up a field that would make a perfect playground.

These kids have so much joy, so much love to give, such potential and yet they live in the midst of violence, abuse and intimidation.  These kids and their families are living a life of simplicity not by choice, but out of necessity. 

Seeing the way the kids live is teaching me a heck of a lot already. They made a trampoline out of a tractor tire, car toys out of oil jugs and bottle caps, they roll bike tires with a stick and half a milk jug, play baseball with a stick for a bat, they have their own version of pogs, and they’re happy with just playing patty-cake games for hours. Living in simplicity and finding joy in it.

On the other hand, I’m living in simplicity by choice â€" it’s a choice I have to remember I made. I made the choice of living with 45 other people in a four-bedroom house, I made the choice to eat PB&J’s for the majority of a year, to go without constant use of internet, to bring, carry and live out of a 40lbs pack, to live in a tent, to do laundry by hand, to walk 40 minutes to the village and back to play with kids and teach them to love each other, of living in community â€" and the joys and challenges that brings, to find happiness I never thought possible of a cold Coke, to watch the world cup final with Dutch tourists and having the cable cut out after the 90^th minute, to see the kids’ eagerness/initiative to help clean up their field, to find that one boy that has so much peace in him that will rub off on others, to sleep under the stars every night, to eat yummy empanadas, to find quiet times for myself as well as for JB and I.

It’s also a choice to seek the good and God in the midst of challenges â€" sometimes it’s easy to make this choice, other times it’s not; but when it’s not I’ll have to think back to the tractor tires, and make-shift toys that the kids in Villa Liberación play with and all the blessings God´s constantly pouring out onto my life - all of you included.