Its Christmas Eve
I’m 8,000 miles away from the USA
I’ve been gone for 6 months
all I can think about is home, but not my Kentucky home
so where is home now…
Home is where your heart is…
and my heart was left in Haiti
I miss the smiles, the hugs
the high fives
and even the slobber from Bob
I miss the alphabet soup that Janet makes
the 5am basketball
and all the children singing
I never thought I would be so homesick
Homesick for the mother and fatherless
Homesick for the orphans who just want to be loved
I will soon reunite with them and my heart will beat again
My Christmas Gift to the World
I’ve given my self away..and
I wouldn’t do it any other way…
Being with missionaries who have given their lives up
To spread the love of Jesus
Missionaries who don’t care about presents, trees, and food
But, who care about the birth of Jesus, love, and unity
This Christmas is different,
Fajitas is our meal
Skits, communion, and candlelights is our plan
Family has a whole new meaning.
I’m with my new family
Nope…I didn’t get married
I’m with my African and race family
All though I miss my family back in Kentucky
I think of them way to often
Send up prayers for them to my heavenly daddy
Counting the days until I return and..
Get off the plane and hug the life out of them
But for now I have a nation to reach.
Merry Christmas to my immediate family..
Mom,Dad, Doug, Carolyn, Sierra, Bobby, Mari, Mary, Jimmy, Destiny, Tyler, Alec, and Zak
Thanks for sharing me with the world, thanks for letting me follow Gods will, thanks for BELIEVEING in me, your support, and most of all thanks for your prayers.
A special thanks to my nephews and niece..I love you all sooo much. Thanks for giving your Aunt Krystel away for a year..thanks for giving me memories of your smiles and hugs that I can always think about when I’m down….I miss you and cant wait to see you.
Mom and Doug..I wanna say thank you for being u..thank u for believing in me when I had no one else…thank you for taking over all my finances, car payment, insurance, and for sending me goody boxes..but most of all Thank you for being the prayer warriors that you are..thanks for encouraging me when I want to give up. I know Ive taken for granted a lot of things..but its by the grace of God that I can see now…with an open heart.
Dad and Carolyn…I want to say thank you for letting go and letting God. Letting God direct our relationship…letting God be in total control. I couldn’t ask for a better year..and I’m so blessed that you guys are back in my lives. This is something that I have prayed for for years and I give God all the glory for this. Thanks for you support and for helping me along this journey across the nations. I pray that this is the best Christmas ever for you both.
Bobby…I love love love u..and I miss my big brother terribly.. I cant wait to see you again..to ride the motorcycle with you and to sit down and talk to you about what God has done and is doing in my life. If I could give you any advice it would be to read the bible more..get that personal relationship with our heavenly daddy…its so much different for me know that I go to God for everything and I want that for u also. Thanks for giving your sister away for a year and trusting that God will take care of me.
Sierra…I know you don’t know me that well, and I want to apologize for that. I’m sorry that I haven’t been the sister that you needed. But I promise I WILL do better when I come home. I want to know your likes and dislikes, and to share with you my likes and dislikes. I look forward to spending time with you when I return eating pizza, swimming, and staying up late watching movies… I pray for u often and love u very much.:)
Merry Christmas to my grandparents…Bill n Evelyn, Papaw Offutt, Pauline and Nanny I LOVE U
Merry Christmas to my extended family..The Kempers, Roberts, Offutts, Dougs Family, Morris, Heil, Duncans, Simpsons, Thackers, Munsons, Brownings, Vuicks, and Provost ..LOVE U ALL..and Praying for you all this Christmas
Merry Christmas to my close friends…Shannon, Angela, Heather, Joe n Karen, Mindy
Merry Christmas to my friends….my race family..all 65 of you, facebook peeps, nvmc church family, my family in Haiti, DR, Ireland, Romania, Mzuzu, and Salima.
Merry Christmas to my SUPPORTERS..I couldn’t have done this without you, thanks for all your encouragement and for believing in me when everyone else doubted me.
Thank you all for giving me this opportunity to go out into the nations and preach the gospel…This has always been Gods’ plan for me and I’m finally glad that I followed his will.
Top 10 most favorites of this year..
10. Pool parties/Going away parties at my dads, Pams, and church
9. Eating school lunch with my nephews
8. Shannon n I taking Shaelynn and Arianna to see Disney on Ice
7. Having awesome people sponsor my trip and raising almost $14,000 in 10 months
6. Seeing thousands of people accept Jesus into their lives
5. Having God change my outlook on everything
4. Ringing in the new year at IHOP(international house of prayer)
3. Living in a Orphanage..and raising money for them to have shoes
2. Having my mom AND dad at my birthday party
1.Traveling the world/getting stamps in my passport
Top 10 dislikes this year:
10. Being homesick
9. Leaving my job/coworkers that I have worked with for almost 5 years
8. Getting rid of my dog
7. Wearing the same smelly 5 outfits for 6 months
6. Having no church to go home to next year
5. Saying goodbye to my family n friends
4. Fund raising for my trip
3. Riding 86 hours on a bus
2. Having random sicknesses for the first 6 months of the race
1. Hearing about both grandpas being diagnosed with cancer
