Gratefully Chosen: 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.