Coming Back

Dear Everyone, 

     First off, I want to start out by apologizing for the late post, it's crazy to think we've been home almost a week already! Life has been crazy basically since the minute I stepped off the plane in Charlotte, but I figured I would take some time out of the business of my life right now to reflect on how massively the Lord provided, and worked in the lives of not only those on the trip, but the Haitian people that we got to come in contact with. The trip was basically split up into two sections, for the first few days, we were in villages that were actually in Montruis, which was the city we were staying in. Most of the people that we encountered in Montruis were actually already believers, and many of them offered to pray for US as we ministered to others. For me, that was really encouraging and definitely reminded me how God was already working in these villages before we even got there, but it also was a bit defeating to come all this way to share the gospel to people who had already heard it. It's pretty clear now though, that our time spent in Montruis, wishing we'd have had the chance to share the gospel with someone who had never heard it was really just the Lord preparing our hearts for the next leg of our journey. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we spent some time in what they call the "5th section", which was not only much more impoverished and poor than the villages in Montruis, but it was also much more voodoo occupied, which is the unofficial religion of Haiti. We also went from villages that were maybe 10 or 15 minutes from our hotel, with mountain and seaside breeze, to a 2-2.5 hour drive out to completely flat lands, and rice fields everywhere. Despite it's "drawbacks" though, personally the fifth was much more spiritually rewarding for me. Being in the fifth section and seeing how little everyone had, but also seeing the amount of joy and contentment they had in their hearts was incredibly humbling, and reminded me once again of how lucky we are to live in America, and have so many great things, and meanwhile these people barely have a roof over their heads. One of the most surprising things I saw in the fifth section was an attitude of thankfulness for what they did have. What would America look like if we had just an OUNCE of the amount of gratitude that the Haitians have stored up in their souls? I don't know, but my hope is that as I continue adjusting to life in the states, I will never forget to have a "Haitian heart" of joy and of gratitude in all situations. 

       The Lord has taught me so, SO much on this trip, about stepping out of my comfort zone, about being thankful, about leaving the things that have happened in my life in the past, but more than anything, the Lord has shown me that I have a lot more leadership potential than I give myself credit for. The Lord has gifted me with an ability to lead well, but far too often, I seek to please people in the way that I lead, and that leads me to be passive and permissive as a leader, which isn't good. I've realized that even the God-given gifts that we have been given can and will become mixed in with world ideals and worries if we're not careful, and before we know it, this God given gift has become a burden in our lives, and we allow that burden to hinder us from being able be the person that the Lord has created us to be. It was so very clear to me, all throughout the trip, that the more I stepped out of my comfort zone, and put myself out there, the more I realized that I DO have the ability not only to lead others, but to lead others well. Even at the very first house that I shared the gospel at, the Lord spoke his comfort to my heart, and gave me the courage to share the gospel to these people, and be able to share a little bit of my own story and how the Lord has provided for me. We truly serve a God who loves us so dearly that he calls us to do great things, but he also holds us, and guides us every step of the way. I want to take time once again to thank each and every person who has donated, prayed, or encouraged me as I went on this trip, it honestly could not have happened without you all! I will be sending out thank you letters shortly, but for now, I want to end with some of my very favorite pictures from the trip. 

Me and a sweet Haitian friend, Stefanie. She stuck with me for HOURS!  

These kids were just the sweetest, and so easy to love!  

 One of the trucks that was our main source of transportation for the week. 

All the little boys just LOVED hanging on David.  

 Crossing the river to get to the fifth section 

 Gorgeous sunset at the resort! 

The best, and possibly most ridiculous roommates ever!  

 The whole group on the mountain! 

God's beauty is really, truly incredible. 

In Christ, 

Rose

Reaching the mark

Dear Everybody,

I meant to write this a lot sooner, it's been in the back of my head for the past week, but life has been absolutely crazy with starting new jobs, midterms, packing, and somehow maintaining my sanity along the way. Anyways, here we are. Reaching "the mark", as I like to call it when everything gets down to less than 24 hours, and everything in you is just bursting with excitement. That's pretty much where I'm at right now. As we sat in large group worship tonight with Cru, my friend leaned over to me and whispered, "The next time we're going to worship will be in Haiti!!!" And in that moment, it hit me, the next time I will see a lot of my team is going to be at 7 am Saturday morning at the airport! How awesome is that? This whole journey of preparation is coming to a close, and come tomorrow at 4, I will be on my way to actually DOING the thing! My mind these past few days have been so scattered, studying, trying to pack, trying to spend more intentional time with the Lord in preparation for the trip, and also going to classes at the same time, but at this point, a lot of that has gone away. I spent today either packing, or studying for my Bio exam, which just so happens to be my worst class, and the very last thing I have to do before leaving, but as things have slowed down, my anticipation for this trip has gone up. I'm realizing that it's not a selfish anticipation, like I can't wait to be filled by this trip(although I'm sure I will be), but it's more of an anticipation of what the Lord is going to do in the hearts and lives of those on the team, and the Haitian people that we come in contact with, and that makes my heart just overflowing with joy. But things here are still in the works, and there are still prayers to be said, so I wanted to give you all a list of how you can be praying for me, and for my team members, and for the trip itself over the next few days(we fly out Saturday).

1. Safety, Prayers that we would get there safely, but also that we would be guarded against various and potentially deadly sicknesses, like malaria, zika virus, and yes, there are even deadly jelly fish. 

2. That the hearts of each person on the team would be fully focused on Jesus, and not ourselves, and we would have humility throughout the trip. 

3. Communication, Pray that we would be able to succinctly communicate what we need to when it comes to sharing the gospel. Sharing the gospel is a scary thing for many, but sharing the gospel in a foreign language just opens up many more ways of it being misinterpreted or misunderstood.

4. The hearts of the Haitian people, most popular religion in Haiti right now is voodoo, or witchcraft. Because of this, we very well may run into individuals who don't want us sharing the gospel, so pray that the hearts of these people would be softened, and that we could address them if needed with love, and not out of frustration. 

Overall, just pray that the impacts that we make in the country of Haiti would be ones that would continue when we are gone, and continue to ripple throughout the country and through the generations. 

In Christ, 

Rose

2 Weeks

Dear Everybody,

In two weeks, the team and I will OFFICIALLY be in Haiti, diving head first into bringing these people the gospel, and clean water. Let that sink in a minute. We are leaving in TWELVE days. These days, I am just a bag of mixed emotions, excitement, anxiety, gratitude, unspeakable joy, overwhelmed with the amount of unanswered questions...you name it, and I've probably felt it in the past few days! It seems so unreal, because it was just a dream for so long, but now it's not. It's real, it's actually happening, and I'm not ready. I don't have nearly the amount of answers that I would have liked to have at this point(like what airline we're traveling...), I'm still a little over $200 short of where I need to be as far as funding goes, and I realized this morning that I forgot to get my passport when I was home this weekend...fantastic...I just feel like I have my hands in so many pots, it's only a matter of time before I get burned. 

Despite all of this though, I have a weird sense of peace,(if you know me well, you know that that does NOT happen) and somehow I know everything will be okay. Over the past few days of furiously scrambling to get fully funded, the Lord has provided, again and again. He has given me a family that is so, SO supportive of this journey and can't wait to see what I learn through this, friends who would do anything and everything they can to love me and support me, and an amazing support system that will come alongside me and pray for me when I'm feeling overwhelmed. He has shown me over the past few days that this is absolutely HIS will, I am merely a vessel of his love to the people of Haiti. I have been so humbled by the generosity of people, and by the way that the Lord provided when I truly felt like there was nothing else I could do. At this point, I truly don't even know what to say, but here's what I do know, The Lord, our gracious father, will provide for our every need. Over the past few days, a scripture that has pretty consistently been on my heart is Isaiah 40:30-31, "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." I have been reminded that when my eyes are fixed on the Lord, everything else will fall into place, and that is so, so precious! Continue praying for me, and for the team as we prepare to leave! 

Half Way!!!

Dear Everyone,

     Today, it has dawned on me that in a little less than 2 months, I will be on a plane, headed off to Haiti, something that I've been anticipating since I heard about this trip in October. Talk about surreal!!! Then, I went in to my fundraising page, and saw that I have reached just under 50% of my goal, and my feelings instantly changed from excitement and nervousness, to immense gratitude for the support, love, and prayers that I have received over the past few months. As the deadline approaches, I know anxiety will begin to pick up, about the trip, and about the funding, but today, I was comforted in knowing how many people have loved and supported me through this journey. Here are a few things that you can be praying for:

1. My second semester at App begins on Tuesday, and I'm moving back in on Friday, so pray that all of that goes over well, and I have a smooth adjustment back to school life!

2. In February, our Haiti team will begin meeting once a week to begin to get to know the team even better, and to pray over the people we will encounter in Haiti. So pray for us as a team to grow close, and to have our sights set on the Lord on this trip! 

Thanks so much!

Rose

Welcome!

Precious friends and family,

        As many of you know, I am planning to go with Cru to serve overseas in Haiti over my Spring Break. While we are over there, we will be providing fresh water filters to people who may not otherwise have access to clean water.  While I am definitely planning on writing an update letter to all those who supported me through prayer, or financially after the trip, I figured this may be the best way for me to be able to update all of you as training begins, and life happens.

     I have chosen to title this blog "Gratefully Chosen" very intentionally, for two specific reasons. First, the selection process for this trip was completely and totally random, there were about 70 students who were interested in this trip, but Cru could only take 30. While I prayed about it, I began to feel more and more like this was truly what the Lord was calling me to do with my break, and I allowed myself to get excited and attached to this trip, until the day that I found out I had been placed on the waiting list. I was confused, hurt, and just frustrated that I had been so sure that this was the Lords plan, and I just didn't understand at all. About 3 weeks later, I got a text message from our team leader Eric, saying that two people had pulled out, and I was officially on the team! With all this being said, I have realized just how grateful I am to be chosen for this trip. The second reason I chose this title was because of the beautiful truth that Ephesians 1:4-5 talks about, "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will." What a sweet reminder that is, that millions and millions of years before we were born, and started messing things up and making the world ugly, he set US aside as HOLY and BLAMELESS. Before we made a single mistake, he had already covered and redeemed us. That is something to truly be grateful for! My prayer is that we as a team are able to confidently share this message with not only the people we encounter overseas, but also the people we encounter in our daily lives at Appalachian, whether it's someone eating at the dining hall, or that person who sits next to us in class.

     Speaking of being grateful, I want to take a moment and thank each and every person who has been supporting me whether in prayer, or financially as I prepare to leave, it truly means the world to me, and I am so thankful for each of you. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such loving and God-honoring friends and family who would support me so whole-heartedly, and I cannot wait to share with each of you how God uses our team not only over Spring Break, but over the next semester as we train together, and get to know each other better! If you would like to support me, my fundraising page can be found here:https://missionminder.com/Give/Hq2a7N6JrE .  

In Christ,

Rose