Very Different Summers

This past week marked the 4th of July, and all weekend long I couldn't help but think about where I was last year. Sarah and I had been in Petit Goave, Haiti for about a week last year when the 4th rolled around; we spent it playing with the kids who lived next door to us - substituting dollar store flying discs for fireworks.

Though this summer is very different in circumstance, my heart is pulled toward Haiti just as much as ever. I'm currently in a one-year leadership program at my church here in DC. As school came to a close this spring I thought and prayed a lot about going straight to Haiti after graduation. The result of that was an overwhelming feeling that I should wait. I am willing to get up and go whenever the doors open, but for now I know that God wants to prepare me more before jumping in. In the long run, the more equipped I am to work there, the better the relationship will be in the long run. So I decided to take this leadership program at my church, which will allow me to see what it is like to not only work in a church, but also see what it is like to start a church, which is what I will be helping with this year.

While I am waiting to see what the next step will be, I plan to help further the relationship between the college ministry here and World Hope Haiti as a volunteer. There 's a possibility that I may be doing a few different things. Some of the options I'm currently considering are grad school (though I'm not sure what degree yet...), going to Haiti, working with a church, working with an NGO/NPO, etc. Pretty much I want to do whatever I can to prepare myself to get to Haiti as soon as possible!

What to be happy for

I got back from Haiti again on Thursday and have been adjusting back to life here again for the last few days. Its always so much harder to adjust to US life than to Haitian life. There's more to analyze, I think - because it makes you look at your life and your home culture under a microscope. I end up thinking- 'what can I cut out; what don't I need;how do I make my lifestyle less self-focused?'


These are the things that I keep learning more and more each time I go and come back:

-I don't need all of this stuff that I have
-I have grown into the habit of putting my wants over other peoples needs, without even knowing I was doing so - but I can change that
-ignorance is bliss, because knowledge carries responsibility
- the things I do have are a huge blessing from God
-I have to be a good steward of the blessings and opportunities He has given me
-my heart is very much for social justice and for Haiti

And this is what I woke up being happy for this morning:
-I have a bed and blankets to sleep on
-I had food for breakfast waiting for me upstairs
-I have an intricate support system of friends, family, and mentors around me
-I am healthy
Praise the Lord, right!?