Month two is upon us now and life on the mission field is in full swing. We are in Haiti at a place called “Mission of Hope.” It may be the greatest place in the world. I could go on forever about why I love it but that would take too long. I am trying to get a video about what they are doing here because me writing about it cannot do it justice. It is a huge organization that does great things for the people in Haiti. To give you just a small glimpse of their impact: they feed over 91,000 people every week; the waiting list for the orphanage/school is 1,100; they employ over 400 local workers from Haiti; 11 schools and 3 compounds house missions around the area. It’s a big deal to say the least and the one month this year that all 37 members of my squad will be all together. In all this I am starting to feel something weird. I am having the crazy feeling that things are starting to feel normal. What I mean by that is the first few weeks were very unreal feeling, but now it is just life.
The word normal itself is strange. If you were to ask my teachers at UNCG, it is not even a real thing. Normal is just what we make it from our own personal surroundings and experiences. I get that all people have different normals but no matter who you are, what I am doing isn’t normal at all… or is it?
What got me thinking about all this was how blessed I am here at Mission of Hope. From the people we are working with to all the amazing kids at the orphanage and life change that I am being able to see. The greatest part is that this is just the start of it. It all started to hit me at a workout at 5:45 in the morning. That is way way too early for anything if you were wondering. I hate getting up early but I love being up. So there is a lady that leads a really good workout, so I have been getting up before the sun. As I was working out the sun started to come up over the mountains that are right behind where we are staying. The view was breathtaking; every color you can think of was in it and all I could think about is how blessed I was to get to be in a place with that every morning.
At nights there is a roof to the place we are staying that overlooks the ocean. The sun goes down over the water. Being from the east that is not something I get to see often. I believed that the sunrise was the most beautiful thing ever until these nights where the sunset tops it. There is no wifi unless you pay 5 dollars every hour. No one can pay that so there are no phones, no computers, or TVs. It is a great way to just be present with God and others. This is why there are no pictures of this month on here or Facebook. I will show them when I get a chance. It is just a lot of people that love Jesus loving others here and it is amazing.
Then came the day and everything I came for. There is so much hard work but so much joy here. In everything people just love each other. You get to see kids that have been abandoned and had nothing to eat receive love and food all day.
I started to just thank God for all that he is allowing me to see and be a part of. Then I got a feeling that God was telling me that I shouldn’t be surprised. If His word says, “Seek Him first and all these things will be given as well,” or that, “He gives life and life to the full,” and “how much more will your Heavenly Father give to his children,” why is it surprising when He does what he said he would do?
Now this is not an easy thing or a stress-free life. With this amazing last few weeks I haven’t been able to get out of sight of a bathroom or I am running a huge risk. The diet has been really bad. The water tastes terrible, and the bugs will carry you off. You have to be willing to take the bad with the good and give him the room to do whatever he wants.
I have found myself enjoying more of life as I know more of the Father. When you get to a place where you believe he has your best in mind and wants give you great things, and then go with you through not great times. This makes it easier to accept the blessings and enjoy them for exactly what they are. Great gifts from him. My mom and dad are pretty wise and they would tell me all kinds of great things growing up. I don’t remember most of them but one thing I do remember is, “Don’t trade the best for something good.” I think one thing I have been learning is what that best is. The hard thing is letting go of what was just good. I hope everyone finds that best that God wants to give us and then gives him room to let us get it.
