Little Community Organizer

Hannah loves people! She is an uber-extrovert-- sometimes to a fault (e.g. when she freaks out and tantrums over leaving someone's house--because she LOVES spending time with people). I can remember shopping with Hannah when she was an infant and having to triple check that she was fastened in to the cart so nobody would walk off with her. She would have left with anyone that smiled and reached for her. To this day, we can be in a store and if someone makes eye contact with her, it is only a matter of seconds before they no our life history (dirty laundry included) . . . "Hi, I'm Hannah, this is my mom Lori. We're shopping for nursing bra's, because she can't find one in her size. We just had a baby, her name is Emerson. This is her, right here-- you want to see?"

It is Hannah's love of people that will make a visitor feel welcomed or a bashful friend feel at ease. Her outgoing nature often affords me opportunities to meet people I might not otherwise have met. And, it is my prayer that God will hone her gregarious personality and use it for His glory one day, as she matures and grows in wisdom and faith. I think He has big things in store for her.

We were recently traveling home from a shopping trip in Raleigh. It was late. Madeline was sleeping, my brain was numb from an entire day out and about, and Jonathan was driving-- but Hannah's mind was racing. Jonathan and I were both tickled and amazed as she unloaded her thoughts and plans from the back seat. Hannah was very concerned about the people in Haiti; and, for over 10 minutes she pontificated, planned, and shared what she was going to do to remedy the situation. In short, she was going to go to Target and purchase a bunch of stuff. Then, she was going to send our friend Lisa (who has recently been involved in missions) to Haiti on a boat in order to round up people and bring them back to our yard-- where apparently all of the previously mentioned items from Target would be set up in an orderly fashion on tables (yard sale style). The Haitians would have a chance to peruse the tables and take what they needed for free. Meanwhile, Jonathan and some other men would be building new houses (Extreme Home Make Over Style) for the Haitians, and I would be cooking food to feed the hundreds of people standing in our yard. I definitely think we have a community organizer or future missionary/missionary wife in our midst!

Not wanting to discourage Hannah's bleeding heart, we had her think through her senerio and come up with the greatest immediate physical need of the people in Haiti and how she could help. We decided we would find a way to send food or contribute to a food sending organization. She is a dreamer and a thinker for sure. I am both encouraged and challenged by her love for others.