Since being in Haiti, the Lord has taught me so much about making room for freedom.
Freedom to walk outside of my comfort zone.
So many things have occurred these past few weeks that really push me past any expectation I have ever set for myself. I dropped everything to come on this journey. I got up and walked away from my friends, family, favorite foods, my comfy bed, and pretty much everything that brings me comfort. I put my life on pause for a little bit. I decided not to work this summer, not to take summer classes, not to take my girls to Younglife camp, to miss birthdays and to not be present with my family but, this is exactly where the Lord wants me to be. That is so freeing to know! No matter what I am missing, I know that the Lord has called me higher! He even tells us to do this in Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” and again in Mark 16:15 “And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” When he says “the whole creation” he includes all of the nations and not limiting yourself to borders or your own neighbors. I could easily spread the gospel at home but, how cool is it that I got to come here. I feel FREE!
Freedom to be okay with the unexpected.
To be completely honest, Haitians don’t have set schedules. If we are told to be ready by 9:30, we could leave at 9 or we could leave at 10:30. There is honestly no in between. We also don’t know what we will see each day. If we have plans to do one thing but something comes up elsewhere, you bet your butt we are going to change our plans. We are here to serve others and to honor the needs of the people here. We are here to stop and pray in the middle of the road if we see something that touches our hearts. The bible says in Malachi 3:6 “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” We don’t have to sit in the discomfort of the unexpected. Our plans change, so what? We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but we do know that He does not change and that makes me feel FREE.
Freedom to speak out and speak up.
If you know me, you know that I hate speaking in public or talking to strangers. It seriously makes me feel so awkward. But wow has the Lord been so good to me through that. I’ve gotten to lead VBS bible stories (in front of tons of kids, most of which have no clue what I’m saying until it is translated), walk up to strangers on the side of the road just to say hello to them (sorry mom, there’s no such thing as stranger danger here…), tell random people about a Man that loves us so much, and just wake up without fear for who or what I will get to say to anyone. In Romans 5:11, it says “For I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” I feel FREE to stand up and speak out about my God.
Our team has “feedback.” The goal is to stick a mirror infront of them and call them higher. It can literally be anything. Everything that I say, I make sure that I take it to the Lord first to ensure that I am glorifying Him in everything I say and do. But, how weird is that? I don’t think I would ever be able to walk up to someone in my family and say “So, today you really weren’t glorifying the Lord when you did ___.” But here, if you don’t give feedback, you get feedback for not giving feedback lol. God has given me so much freedom in being able to speak out on things that I want to say and speaking up when I need to. It makes me feel FREE.
Freedom to fall flat on my face for Jesus.
This one is a process. I want to be the person that jumps at every opportunity the Lord places infront of me. I want to be the person that always says “YES.” I never want to draw myself away form God. I want to do more than fall on my hands and knees. I want to fall flat on my face for the Lord, no matter if it hurts, if it it scary, or if it takes me out of my comfort zone again. No matter what He wants for me, I want it. Knowing that makes me feel FREE. Knowing that I can say YES makes me feel FREE. Knowing that He has handpicked every single opportunity for me makes me want to jump up and down until I cant jump anymore, for Him. I want to glorify Him in everything I do and I never want to question it. I am so ready to fall flat on my face for Jesus literally every single day. I want to step out everyday, be okay with the unplanned everyday, speak up everyday, and never say no to Jesus. 2 Peter 3:9 says “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” So, even if it is a process, I AM READY TO FALL FLAT ON MY FACE FOR JESUS EVERYDAY. I AM FREE!!!
