The heart behind Haiti

Why Haiti?
Why give up your comfortable life to do something as dangerous as serve there?
Why not the neighborhoods right around you?

I have always had a passion for places OTHER than the United States. International missions was something I was 100% sure I would be involved with at some point in my life. Does this mean I don't serve the people right here in my own community? Absolutely not. I am passionate for hurting people in poverty, and I know they exist right here, as close as East Aurora, right up the street from where I live. I pray for these places, I serve in these places, and I care for them as well. But no matter how much I care for this community, my compassion for Haiti will far exceed it. As much as I am physically living here in Aurora, my heart is in Haiti. Haiti is my community, and as much my family as Aurora is. Someday I hope for that to become my physical community as well.

God has placed a calling on my life stronger than anything else I have ever felt. I think about Haiti every single day, and I wake up waiting to see how God is going to bring me even closer to that country, physically as well as emotionally. God has made it abundantly clear that Haiti is also my home, and that He wants me to serve and love those people with the strength He gives me. This isn't just a decision I am making, but a decision God has made for my life. I am just choosing to surrender to Him, and to follow.

I went to Haiti for the first time last July, and before I even went I knew it would be a first step to a much longer journey. As soon as I was back in America, I was wishing I could go back to Haiti. And finally, the date has come! I will be going to Haiti with The Global Orphan Project July 28th through either August 1st or August 3rd [we are still waiting to see if we will get the extension].

My dream is that people won't just pray for my trip or support us financially, but will join us on this mission. This could mean very different things for people. It could mean physically joining us on the trip, and going with us to Haiti this July. If that is the case, PLEASE contact me as soon as possible, and we can start talking through what that would look like. For most people, it will simply be allowing your heart to feel what we feel. Pray not only for the trip, but for the country. And not because you were asked to, but because you are allowing God to break your heart the way Haiti breaks His. When you pray for us and support our trip financially, you are becoming part of this mission with us. I don't want you to have a short interaction with me and have that be the end of it; I want you to be a part of this! I want to share with you the process, the stories, the joy and the tears. This kind of experiences changes lives. Not just the ones who went on the trip, but anyone who participated.

Please be praying about how God is trying to speak to you. Whether it be joining us on our trip, supporting us financially, or praying for the trip, I would love for you to be part of this mission with me.

If you would like to support the trip financially, please make the check out to The Global Orphan Project, and mail them to me [1845 Indian Hill Lane, Aurora IL 60503].

If you would like to become part of our prayer team and go through this process with us, please send an email to theHaitiJourney@yahoo.com, and you will be added to the regular email list.

You can also follow the journey on facebook [facebook.com/TheHaitiJourney] and twitter [http://twitter.com/#!/thehaitijourney].

Surrender

Haiti is slowly consuming more and more of my life, and that couldn't make me happier.

Last Thursday was my first official Haiti meeting with a few people who are considering going with me. I got pretty freaked out before I left. As confident as I am that I'm doing what God wants, it still scares me. The fact that each trip is taking me one step closer to my ultimate goal of moving to Haiti is horrifying.

On the way to the meeting I turned off my radio and just talked out loud with God. After only a few seconds I was sobbing, completely overwhelmed by His love and His blessings. I found myself just saying thank you over and over and over again.

It's a cool moment when you realize that God has blessed you with a vision and a purpose. It's also really cool when you finally let go of control. I have finally just surrendered my future to God, and it was the best feeling in the world. Who better to plan out my life than the one who knows it all?

I wanted to get the word "surrender" tattooed on my wrist for quite a while. I wanted a physical, in my face reminder that this is not my life, but God's, and I am to surrender everything to Him. I don't need a tattoo to remind me of that. Every second of my life is a reminder that I need to surrender my control, my plans, my feelings to Him. How different [and terrible] my life would be if I didn't decide to do that.

This weekend there were a lot of comments about starting your day and DECIDING to do something, like be a mother, or a wife. I need to wake up every morning and decide to surrender that day to my Father, to let Him control what happens, control my actions, simply control my life. I couldn't make a better decision for myself.

First

I got to meet with one of the best influences in my life tonight, and just sit and talk through my life. Not only does talking through things help you see things more clearly, but it is always helpful to have someone with more experience and wisdom be able to help you process and work through things.

She read me something that someone else actually wrote to her, but that she felt was true to me as well. And man, did it hit home. The one thing that struck me the most is the following quote:

"You are God's CHILD first, and His servant second."


wow. WOW. I feel like it was God speaking right to me when I heard that. No matter what, He loves me. Doesn't matter how many hours I put into church or leading or small groups. Yes, that is all good, and beneficial, and relational. But doing those things doesn't make God love me MORE.

Great realization tonight. Now for the next steps.