My cousins have been released!

My cousins have been released and will soon be home with their families! Yeah!

Two of the group are still in custody in Haiti; the other eight (including my three cousins) have been released. For more info, check out this news story from AFP.

Thank you to those of you who have supported us with kindness and prayer!

Funk

I've been in and out of a funk ever since I found out that some of my cousins were in a Haitian jail. It's been well over two weeks now. Last week I wasn't sure how much of my stress was due to this situation, but when we heard on Wednesday that they would probably be released, my energy suddenly soared and I had a smile on my face! I knew then that their predicament was really affecting my emotions.

That was a week ago, and they are still in jail as I write this on Tuesday. We hope to get more information Wednesday. Things are just so different in Haiti than they are here. Not knowing what to expect is frustrating. If this is hard for me--someone who is not particularly close to my cousins--I know the stress on their immediate families must be intense. Thankfully God's peace and love seem to be flowing through Paul's and Drew's wives.

Trust is key. Stealing quiet times away to connect with God--that's key too. Those things are harder than they sound, but when I manage them, I have much more peace.

Since this is on my mind so much, I figured I might as well blog about it. My ideas for blogging are compromised when I am so distracted! When these guys come home, we will be so relieved. Their spouses, siblings, kids, and parents will be joyful. And way down on the list of benefits...maybe my blog mojo will be back in full force too!

The Internet survived without me!

In Christianity (and plenty of other religions), fasting has been a spiritual discipline for millenia. The idea is to not eat for a particular period of time (a meal, a day, three days, 40 days[!], etc.) and to focus on prayer.

I spent so many years pregnant and/or nursing, and during that time I really needed to eat regularly. My body was working with an extra-fast metabolism, and my kiddos were depending on that nutrition. So occasionally I'd do some sort of "media fast," where I'd stay away from TV, radio, and/or Internet for the better portion of a day. I found that for me, this seems to have more meaning than a traditional food fast. My brain slows down enough to pray--and relax--when I'm not constantly listening, watching, or typing.

I knew that yesterday some family members were going to be fasting and praying for the missionaries in Haiti, and I decided to take time away from the Internet. This isn't about strict rules; I didn't stay away 100% of the time. But I didn't read any news stories. (Checking Google News every other second for Haiti stories has been my recent obsession, and it really doesn't bring me much peace.) I checked email once, responding to very few. I kept Twitter and Facebook closed. I didn't check any blogs, only taking a few seconds to set up a writing prompt at my other blog.

It reminded me to pray. And beyond that, it just afforded me with more peace. It was hard not checking email, Twitter, news, etc. throughout the day, but it was also nice. I even got our taxes done (which required quite a bit of Internet time, but not of the fun variety.)

And you know what? The Internet survived without me. Maybe I should give it that opportunity more often.

(By the way, we are hopeful that the missionaries may be released Monday, but nothing is certain. If you do pray, please continue this weekend.)

Random brain bits, delivered to your computer screen

I really shouldn't wait until almost 10 p.m. to blog, because I can tell in advance, this is gonna be a post full of randomness. Here goes:

• The term "BFF" (which I'm assuming still means "Best Friends Forever" as it did when I was in junior high in the stone age) bugs me. Do I want to tie myself to a girlfriend for LIFE like I've committed myself to my husband? I love you, my girlfriends who read this! But it's natural in life, as we go through changes, for friendships to grow, and to wane. The term "best friend" is fine, but I'm hesitant to use the word "forever" unless I'm wearing your ring on the third finger on my left hand.
• Hollywood Week on American Idol just might be my favorite week of the show.
• You should make this bread; it's awesome: Whole Grain Challah With Cranberries and Orange Zest.
• After fighting a sore knee and then a lack of energy and motivation the last couple of weeks, my running is back on track. Tuesday I ran 5 km in my fastest time yet (33:15.) It felt great!
• The Engineer and I have "helped" put away toys in the living room way too many times. ("Helping" usually equating to us doing most of the work.) We're going to crack down and require the kids to pull their weight. Chickie does a good job cleaning her own room; she can do the same thing in the living room.
• As the judge in Haiti continues to investigate the missionaries, we are hoping and praying they will be released very soon.

That's all I got, y'all!

What I know about the missionaries in Haiti

If you've been reading my blog this week, you know that three of the American missionaries in Haiti--being officially investigated for criminal association and kidnapping--are related to me. If you've followed the news like I have, you know that, like most legal situations, it's hard to sift through exactly what happened.

What did happen? I don't know. Unfortunately, I don't have a bunch of "inside information." I'm not going to be naive and say I'm certain the team did everything the way they should have. I don't know seven of the ten missionaries (including the leader, Laura Silsby, who spearheaded and organized the effort to bring children into the Dominican Republic.)

What do I know? Well, I've known Drew Culberth, my first cousin, all my life. I've known Paul Thompson, the husband of another of my first cousins, for well over 20 years. I've known Silas Thompson, Paul's son, since he was a baby--but I haven't spent much time with him since he was small, so while I do trust him, I'll refrain on commenting on his character.

So what do I know about Drew and Paul? They are men of deep integrity. They wanted to serve others in this mission. They are men who live out their faith, day to day, in a real way. Paul lives sacrificially every day, pastoring a church and driving a school bus to support his family. Drew has a career of service as a firefighter and also leads a church youth group. Paul and his wife Renee have raised two men who, from all I can tell, have character--their oldest is in the Air Force, and their youngest is in Haiti with his dad. Drew and his wife are loving, joyful parents of four young children.

We haven't heard much of what Drew and Paul have to say about this situation, but I don't even have to hear it to know this: I believe them. Whatever they have told the judges, I believe them.

I've read news stories throughout the years with people that seem to blindly trust their relatives who are suspected of wrongdoing. And I'm realizing, in some cases, it's not blind trust. In some cases the people involved really are so trustworthy that their families can know they are telling the truth.

If you want to reserve judgment, that's okay. I'm reserving judgment on the team members I don't know. I'm reserving judgment on exactly what happened and who knew what.

But I'm standing by my cousins. When people have proven themselves trustworthy through the years, I owe them my trust. They have it.

Meet Drew

Thank you to everyone for the support while my relatives and the rest of their team are detained in Haiti! If you have a few minutes, I'd like to introduce you to Drew, my first cousin who is part of that team. He is from Topeka, Kansas, and one of the local news stations there did a story on him. I think they did a fantastic job showing what kind of man he is.

Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a way to embed this video in my post, but if you'd like to watch it, click here, and you'll see the video on the right side of the screen.

Drew's sister's husband Paul and his son Silas are also part of the team. I am getting most of my information from the various stories listed on Google News; if you'd like to keep up with the story, open this link and refresh it occasionally to see new stories.

Monday Micro: My cousins, arrested in Haiti

I'm posting my Monday post a bit early because it is urgent.

You may have heard of the Americans who were arrested in Haiti on Saturday, accused of child trafficking. Three of them are my cousins (my late aunt's son, son-in-law, and grandson.)

These are men of integrity. I'd trust them with my children. I trust that their sole intention was to bring practical and spiritual help and love to needy children.

My dad has written an excellent blog post explaining the situation more fully; it is here.

I'm not sure exactly what caused such a tremendous misunderstanding. I don't know whose fault it is. But, wherever the confusion lie, I can tell you one thing. This is not a group of people trying to smuggle children.

If you pray, please pray that they are released. They are scheduled to see a judge Monday.

We believe that God has them safe in his hands. We look forward to them being safe with their families again.