Countdown to Haiti

Less than a week away!  All these months of preparation have come down to 4 days and counting until we leave for Haiti.  Most of the items have been purchased down to a cute headband to keep my hair back on our work days. :)  The anticipation awaits as we have prayed and prepared.  For many, including me, the unknown awaits.  What will our week be like?  How will God work in us and through us?  How has he already been working?


My biggest prayer has been that I am open to seeing God at work and that I can sense His call to be His hands and feet to the people of Haiti.  So often, we go on these trips anticipating great works for God.  And yet, sometimes he surprises us by doing a greater work in us than he does through us.  Personally, I am hoping to be surprised by God – surprised by His faithfulness – and mostly surprised by His voice as we go to bring a cup of cold water in His name.

As I prepare to leave on Saturday and reflect on God’s work already, I am so thankful for our team.  While I have been on many missions trips, I have never felt as prepared as I do today.  As we have met over the last three months, we’ve research Haitian culture, studied what the Bible has to say about spiritual warfare, and prayed for each other as we have raised funds and cleared our schedules to depart.  God has brought together 7 very different people to go together.  As we met for the last time before we leave, I was amazed by the beauty that is our team.  From different personalities and gifts, God has made one body and I can’t wait to see how God uses us together to serve the people of Haiti.


But another interesting thing occurred to me today…our team has become a place of safety.  We have become real with each other – warts and all – and truly become ready to be a team that serves together.  As we discussed spiritual warfare today, one of our gals posed the question…”What is the one area that Satan attacks you in the most?”  In essence, how can we help each other as a team in the field to fight the spiritual battle.  As we went around the table, God ministered to my heart as each of us was able to share those tough areas in our thought life and in our hearts.   For me, the area I shared about was not easy for me to share, and yet the warmth and safety as we seek to do ministry together and encourage each other in the process was well worth the risk.


As you might know, I’m always on the lookout for my one foot in the water moment – that moment when I step out of my comfort zone and meet God as we walk together in His strength.  I’ve already had so many of those moments in preparing to go – most recently sharing that area that Satan likes to poke at.  And so as I look ahead, I’ll be waiting and watching for my “one foot” moments while on the ground in Haiti.   One off the top of my head and my heart – that I would keep my heart fully engaged with our team and with the people of Haiti.  And as I take my first steps off the plane in Haiti, with knees knocking and butterflies in my stomach, I pray that we would each embrace our “one foot” moments to step out of our comfort zone in faith while walking hand-in-hand with God.


Jeremiah 1:7-8 “You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

-Danielle Allen

"her poor will I satisfy with food."

"I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor will I satisfy with food."  Psalm 132:15

As I sit here at almost 3:00 AM thinking about our trip to Haiti and worrying about everything I might forget, I am reminded that the first missionaries were told by Jesus "Take nothing for the journey except a staff--no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.  Wear sandals but not an extra tunic."  As Americans we feel as if we need to take everything except the kitchen sink with us when we go serve overseas.  It would inconvenience us too much to go without our comfy clothes, soft pillows and rugged shoes.  Can I live without 4 bottles of sunscreen?  One for each SPF level in existence?  How will I survive without my Smart Phone, computer and hair straightener?  Can I live a week without having control over what I will eat for dinner or where I will sleep?

I think of how the disciples went out...with no food, extra clothing or money with only the clothes on their backs and the sandals on their feet and I think of how selfish I am and just how privileged Americans really are.  Then I think about the children of Haiti and the ones that aren't fortunate enough to have even one pair of shoes not to mention 5!  Or the mother that brought her 18 month old daughter to the clinic a few weeks ago that weighed only 12 lbs and loved her so much that she was trying to feed her and a younger sibling on breast milk alone!  She loved her so much that she sent her to an orphanage that had food so that her beautiful daughter could survive.   Then there are the 600,000 people still living in tent cities after the massive earthquake of January, 2010.  They have no running water, no electricity and one woman I just read about said this "I don't even pray anymore because I'm so discouraged."  She has given up on the One person that can bring her out of spiritual poverty,  God.  That saddens my heart to the core.

So, as I pack my bags for this trip to Haiti will I heed the words of Jesus and travel with nothing except the clothes on my back?  Probably not.  I am too spoiled and pampered for that.  But I will look at how I am packing and also how closely I hold my possessions.  Am I holding them that closely that I will not be able to live without a few things for a week?  Do I really look at and feel the hunger pangs of that 18 month old or even try to understand the woman, who's name is Norgilus, that cannot even pray anymore because of her desperate condition?  God has been asking me to start to let go of "things".  To start to hold everything loosely.  He has provided abundant provisions for me and I pray each day that the poor are satisfied with food as Psalm 132:15 promises.  I feel like the most blessed woman on earth today and some day I pray that Norgilus feels this same way too....

Jackie

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness"

Time has gone fast getting ready to go to Haiti. We had lots of things to do to prepare for the trip like: our bi-monthly meetings, fund-raising, making sure we have everything we need on our packing list, shopping for food, getting the immunizations we needed, praying for one another, getting our Bible story ready for the kids and preparing our hearts and minds for Haiti.

 One thing God has been speaking to me about as I study about Paul is my weaknesses. Who wants to brag about weaknesses! We do Strength Finders to find out what our "strengths" are. Yet Paul in 2 Cor. 12:9-10 is boasting about his weaknesses! "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." It is so contrary to the world's ways. Yet Christ wants us to boast about our weaknesses because than it is not by our power that things get done, but only through Christ! The world asks how and we can say "only through Christ." When we do it on our own strength we tend to think or say "look what I did" but our weaknesses makes us totally dependent on Him! I can't do this without you Lord. That is what I am saying about Haiti, I am weak Lord and I can't do this without you Lord. 

We all have weaknesses that we would rather hide than boast about, but instead of hiding our weaknesses that gives us the opportunity to boast about the Lord instead! So I am excited to see what the Lord is going to do in Haiti and how he is going to use our weaknesses to show His power and strength.

Thanks for this opportunity Lord!

Shari

"Everything is possible for the person who believes." Mark 9:23

I am getting so excited for our trip to Haiti - we leave in two weeks! 

Even though I already feel blessed every day in my life, it's times like these I really feel it. I know I'll be able to look back on this time of preparation and remember how much I'm cared for and loved by my friends and family. Everyone I sent a support letter to was so generous and encouraging. And just like God always does, he surprised me and went above and beyond. Not only did he provide for my trip cost, but extra money has been sent and helped defray costs for other members of the trip. I can't even explain how wonderful it feels knowing I'll have a huge support network waiting for me back home, praying for me while I'm away. I hope they all know that they are going down to Haiti with me in my heart and hands. It's because of them I can go on this trip and pass on their love and support to a most needy part of the world. 

I'm so grateful, so humbled by this entire process. Reaching out to people to raise support was intimidating, but I gave it all up to God to provide, and he did. I took a chance joining a group of people I didn't know and God has turned us into an amazing team of wonderful people. When I heard about this trip for the first time, my heart was ignited to go. So, I prayed about it, believing I was called to go. 

In Mark 9:23, Jesus says "Everything is possible for the person who believes." I hope you will continue to believe...
 

-Katie Russell