My friend (Jackie) and I are leaving for Haiti a week from today. We're packing up our coolers and setting out on the biggest adventure of my life thus far (maybe not the biggest of her life, considering she's been to Kenya twice already). We'll spend 3 months helping start a women's business program which will enable them to support their families financially. Also, their children will be living with us for several months while they complete the program - a sort of mini-orphanage. It's been an exciting few months getting to this point, but I've never been more certain that God had these plans long before we did.
Jackie had the dream first. In fact, the day of the earthquake, she mentioned to me that she and a couple friends has already talked about quiting school and leaving for Haiti as soon as they could get a flight out. We soon learned that the airport in Port Au Prince had been shut down due to damage and they weren't allowing any planes in. However, there was talk about a summer trip, or perhaps taking fall semester off and spending more time there. Over the next few weeks, Jackie joined the whispers being fed into my dreams and thoughts by Jesus. She encouraged me to stare the request from God in the face and decide this day who I would serve. She looked me in the eye and asked me if I was going to Haiti; would I be obedient, or not? Would I trust Him with my life, or not? Although this may seem like it's 'against the rules', I made a demand. I gave God one week to provide me with a specific organization to work with, otherwise I was saying no. Not because I didn't want to go, but because I didn't trust myself enough. I wanted to be certain that I was walking in the path that He had laid out for me, not a path I forged on my own. I wanted confirmation that this was Spirit led and that His affirmation was sewn throughout this entire dream. And he heard my cries. A few days after my tearful and trembling request, the Haiti Foundation Against Poverty shared their story of brokenness, trust, and diligence following the tragedy. I'm proud to be able to work with such an honorable organization, and with such a gracious and genuine leader: Mallery Thurlow. Thanks for allowing us to join you! I can't wait to get there!
