Considering Haiti is only a few weeks away, I figured now would be a good time to introduce myself to the people I’ll be living and serving with for a month.
My name is Adam Hidey (pronounced Heidi, like the Swiss shepherd girl), and I was born and raised in Columbia, MD. I’m 23 years old (24 in September), and I just graduated from the University of Maryland College Park last year after taking my fifth-year victory lap. I was a mechanical engineering major when I started there, and I graduated with a degree in speech-language pathology. Anyone who wants to hear that story will have to ask, since it’s too long to put here.
My last time out of the country was also my first time. I went to Ukraine for a missions trip in 2006 for two weeks, and that was an amazing and eye-opening experience. Since then, I’ve wanted to do missions again, but the timing never worked out. In January, when I heard about the earthquake in Haiti, I felt the Holy Spirit’s leading, and I prayerfully asked God if this was something that He wanted me to do. A few months later, here I am, ready (mostly) for what I expect to be one of the craziest experiences in my life. I’m excited, nervous, eager, and above all, willing to go wherever God needs me to be.
There’s not too much more to tell, but I’d like to close with a few of my favorite verses. One is basically the theme verse of my life, Proverbs 16:9. “In his heart a man plans his steps, but the Lord determines his course.” There have been so many times that I have made up my mind, “This is how this is going to go.” But God is sovereign, and He likes to remind me that He’s the one who is totally in control.
Example: right now I’m working as a bank teller, which is the last place I thought I would be when I started college. I mean, from engineering to speech pathology to banking, I could never have predicted the course my life has taken just over the past 6 years. God loves to throw us for a loop sometimes.
My other favorite theme verse is Hebrews 12:7, “Endure hardship as discipline, God is treating you as sons.” This is the passage that always comes to mind whenever life gets difficult. I’ve learned that there is always something God wants to teach me, or He wants to use some hard experience for my growth. I fully expect this trip will challenge me, and all of us, in unexpected ways, and that there will be trials that God uses for our growth.
I know that with thirty people, there’s bound to be some differences and possible personality clashes, but as long as we can all agree that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, and that our purpose is to glorify our Heavenly Father, then I think Satan will have a tough time breaking us up.
I am stoked to meet all of you.
-Adam
