A Taste of What's to Come
A few weeks ago I was able to take my second short-term mission trip to Haiti. I again traveled to Mission of Hope Haiti, but this time I co-lead a group of college students from The Gathering at UMD. My team was awesome! They worked so well together, were such troopers through sicknesses and set-backs, and had amazing God-centered focus on the mission. I loved being able to walk alongside the students as they experienced Haiti and (for many of them) world missions for the first time!
God worked it out so that right before I left for this trip, I found out that I was officially moving to Haiti. It was great being able to travel back to the country knowing that this place would soon be my home. I was able to share the news with my team while sitting on a rooftop, surrounded by Haiti's beauty. I was also able to tell my news to Rachael, a missionary from my home church who is currently serving with Mission of Hope and has been in Haiti for almost two years. I was really encouraged by Rachael's excitement and our discussions on my move. She listed off places for us to visit together, and we talked about hanging out with one another when we have breaks! I can't tell you how grateful I am to have Rachael as a resource and to have a familiar face in-country (though we'll be at different ministries)! One of the things that saddens me the most about moving is leaving my community behind, but knowing that I'll have a friend a few hours away who wants to spend time with me means all the world! ...Granted, being 3-4 hours away isn't all that close, but she'll be closer to me than most!
Will living in Haiti be hard? Yup. Will there be times I wish I was back home? Probably. But I'll be exactly where God wants me to be, and even if that's in a third world country, that's the best place I could be.
(my wonderful Gathering team!)
God worked it out so that right before I left for this trip, I found out that I was officially moving to Haiti. It was great being able to travel back to the country knowing that this place would soon be my home. I was able to share the news with my team while sitting on a rooftop, surrounded by Haiti's beauty. I was also able to tell my news to Rachael, a missionary from my home church who is currently serving with Mission of Hope and has been in Haiti for almost two years. I was really encouraged by Rachael's excitement and our discussions on my move. She listed off places for us to visit together, and we talked about hanging out with one another when we have breaks! I can't tell you how grateful I am to have Rachael as a resource and to have a familiar face in-country (though we'll be at different ministries)! One of the things that saddens me the most about moving is leaving my community behind, but knowing that I'll have a friend a few hours away who wants to spend time with me means all the world! ...Granted, being 3-4 hours away isn't all that close, but she'll be closer to me than most!
(me, Rachael, & Sheena on my first trip to Haiti)
To be honest, the first couple of days back in Haiti the thought that was going through my head was, "Do I REALLY want to do this?" I was hit with realities like no hot showers, not being able to stick my toothbrush under the faucet when brushing my teeth, mosquitoes/spiders/lizards/other lovely creatures everywhere, sweating myself to sleep, lack of American food & conveniences, communicating in a foreign language, malaria & other physical dangers (I could probably go on for a while here)... and I was unsure about this whole thing. But as the week progressed, those realities of the discomforts and struggles were eclipsed by joy and excitement for all the positive sides of Haiti, and seeing God work in the little things.
I realized I kinda liked the femininity of wearing a skirt everyday. I had a crazy looking spider crawling on my shoulder and didn't freak out. I was able to have some semi-decent conversations with the little Creole I knew, and love the idea of being able to speak another language. The cold showers didn't seem so bad after being in the sun all day. I'm super excited about having a year-round tan. It was nice to not be attached to my phone or computer 24-7. I enjoyed the Haitian food and was even able to have ice cream (and I have since learned that a new restaurant opened up close to where I'll be moving that now sells ice cream too - those who know me well know what a big deal this is)!
Aside from all those miniscule things, I was reminded of how much I love witnessing and being a part of what God is doing in His global kingdom. I was challenged and inspired by the needs around me. I was sad to leave at the end of the week, and upon returning, have had complete peace about my move. I have been ready to go back since our plane landed in the States.
Will living in Haiti be hard? Yup. Will there be times I wish I was back home? Probably. But I'll be exactly where God wants me to be, and even if that's in a third world country, that's the best place I could be.
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