3/25/12 ~ 5 days and counting

The last couple of weeks have been really tough for me. It’s been very hectic, trying to get everything done that I need to get done (packing, re-packing, cleaning, training my replacement at church, etc) and just generally trying to get everything done so that I can head to Haiti and know that everything here is taken care of. Or at least as well as I can be. I’m sure that I haven’t thought of everything, but I planned as best I could. Kind of like my packing for Haiti, it’s really hard to plan what I’ll need for 7 months, as well as what I’ll want, comfort wise. Plus all of the tools that I think I’ll need make for several very full suitcases (I hope American Airlines has a sense of Humor on their weight limit), and a carry-on packed to the gills! I feel pretty well prepared, but I’m sure that once I get there I’ll find several things that I haven’t thought of.

An interesting G.A.W. (God at work) moment = I’ve been trying not to worry (with little success) about my move to Haiti, as well the people and things I’m leaving behind. I know that God has big plans for me, and I know that my life, all of the peaks and valleys, has been in preparation for this missionary journey. I know that, yet still I worry. Anyway, as I was searching yesterday for a particular Bible passage before church, I came across the following verse:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” ~ Matthew 6:25-27 NIV

It still amazes me sometimes how God will give us answers, most of the time before we even ask the question. All we need to do is read the owner’s manual (a.k.a. the Bible) and our problems are resolved. Thank you God for giving us Your word to study and learn from!

Probably the hardest thing that I’ve been dealing with is saying goodbye to all of my friends and family. I’m not really big on goodbyes, I’d much rather just kind of disappear one day. It’s easier to hide your emotions that way. Nonetheless, I was really touched by the friends of mine, saying goodbye and wishing me well. I was even awarded the “Golden Plunger” by the staff at Cornerstone! A truly great honor, reserved for only the best and brightest!

Having such a strong group of family supporting and praying for me is a blessing beyond measure, and I am eternally grateful to all of you, and I look forward to keeping up with you via email, and seeing you in November. Although I may not have shown it much, you all mean the world to me, and I love you all!

Until next time,

BONDJE BENI OU !