He is making ALL things NEW

I could go on and on about all the beautiful things I get to experience day in and day out, here at Mission of Hope. But to me, apart from seeing someone come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, there is nothing better than seeing a life transformed. Whether it’s a new orphan that arrives at our doorstep or a family that has been living in a tent since the earthquake and seeing them receive a home in Leveque, or maybe a child in our school eating in the cafeteria - the only meal they will receive for the day, life transformation is truly a sight to behold. But beyond the life transformation of Haitians, the “icing on the cake” – for lack of a better term – is sitting with a North American team at the end of the day and hearing stories of how God is transforming their lives!! Some team members arrive somewhat nervous because they’ve heard all the reasons why going to Haiti is unwise or maybe a foolish decision. While some team members arrive and their eyes are bright with excitement and anticipation of what the week may entail. But ALL team members leave with eyes even brighter of the hope they have not only for Haiti, but for themselves! The year is just getting underway and I cannot wait to continue to see not only life transformation for every man, woman and child in Haiti, but also every man, woman and child that steps foot into this country!

Letter From Home

Who knew that hand written words on a page could be such a beautiful example of love? Not an electronic mail. Not a status update. Not a tweet. Simple ink stained pages.

As my life continues to move forward here in Haiti, my appreciation for the “simple things in life” continues to grow and grow. A cool breeze on a hot day. Sunrises and sunsets. A cold glass of clean water. Breath in my lungs.

Today I received my first letter from home. My first instinct was to rip open the envelope and quickly read the special words that had been sent to me, but instead I chose to tuck it into my purse and retreat to a solitude place to cherish the letter. It took more time that I would have liked to escape the clamor and clutter of the day, but I finally managed to slip away. Gently I slid my fingers along the seal and released the folds of the paper. It only took a few words and my eyes began to fill with tears. I’ve never cherished a letter until today. Yes, I’ve received many letters in my life, but something is different now. Being oceans apart from family and close friends, it’s amazing how special a letter can be. So today, with a cold glass of water and a cool breeze and a hand written letter, I appreciate the “simple things.”

Meeting a Child

There are a lot of things I really love about my job. Holding a child. Learning Haitian Creole. Walking through the local villages. But probably one of my absolute favorites is being able to witness a team member meeting their child that they have chosen to sponsor. I can never tell who’s smile is bigger, the team member or the child. It’s almost as if you could reach out and grab a handful of pure joy, as you watch the meeting take place! The student is so excited to know that someone is investing in their future and that they are loved by a complete stranger. And the team member begins to realize that they really can make a difference in the life of a student and they can be a part of the “bigger picture.”

Today was one of these days. I took a woman and her daughter down to the School of Hope to meet their sponsored child. The little girl was maybe 5-6 years old. I literally fought back tears as I watched the woman and daughter give the little girl a jump rope and some barrettes to put in her hair. The light in the little girls eyes was unexplainable. They sat and held her. Laughed. And took pictures. You could see it in all of their faces that if time could stop and they could stay in this moment for as long as possible, they would! What a beautiful representation of the Gospel. I am so blessed to be able to have this experience week in and week out. I love my life in Haiti.

Toss'n Rocks

Upon arriving in Haiti it was amazing to me how much I remembered but what probably shocked me even more, was how much I had forgotten.

I had only been at the Mission of Hope campus for maybe 2-3 hours when some of my dearest friends came walking up the hill towards my house. It was a few of the Hope House boys. Boys that live in our orphanage, that is on our compound. When I was an intern in the fall of 2011, I had spent quite a bit of time working with them, getting to know them, laughing with them and developing some wonderful friendships. So as you can imagine, when I first saw them walking up the hill, I was very excited. I hugged each one of them, asked them about their Christmas and New Year's and walked up to the playground. It didn't take long for us to all sit down on the loose rocks and continue to talk. One by one the boys started to pick up a rock or two and gently toss it at another rock, attempting to hit it. Watching them, I quickly realized that this was more habit than a conscious decision. They didn't even break conversation to pick up a rock and aim it at another victim rock. First just a few rocks were being thrown and then more and more. As more rocks began to be aimed and tossed, the less the conversation continued. And almost a matter of minutes the only sound that could be heard was the clank and clap of a rock being tossed into a pile of more rocks. This silence of words went on and on and on. I quickly found myself trying to come up with something else we could do. What game could we play? What subject matter could I bring up that they would want to talk about? My mind was literally racing. And then it hit me..... just toss rocks. I had forgotten the simplicity in which I had grown so accustomed to. I had forgotten that taking the time to just sit with someone, may be the most important thing you do that day. Tossing rocks may not be profound, it may not even make a whole lot of sense. Life doesn't always have to busy, things don't always have to be done. Everything has a time and a place. And right now, in this time and in this place, I'm going to toss rocks. So with that thought, I picked up another rock, glanced around at the boys to observe their smiles as their aim was getting better and better.... and tossed another rock.

The Mystery of Hope

I read something the other day that shook me. It was a tweet from a pastor name Paul Tripp. Here is what it said:

"Hope is not a situation, location, idea, or thing. Hope is a person and his name is Jesus."

It made me stop.... and think. What do I put my hope in? What do I trust? What do I depend on? The definition of hope is " to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence; to believe, desire or trust." As I pondered this quote, I cringed as I thought of things that I so quickly put my "hope" in. Finances. Family. My car. Good health. The fact that I'm an American. It was a sobering reality.

Hope seems to be a word that gets thrown around casually in conversations. "I hope my team wins tonight." "I hope the restaurant doesn't have a long wait." "I hope we're not late for the movie." It challenges me to be slow to speak... to weigh my words. Now don't hear me say to tip the scales and go legalistic with this. I'm not asking anyone to alter the English language, but I am saying this.... I choose to put more weight to this word, "hope." I'm sure the fact that I'm going to work for an organization called Mission of HOPE, has magnified my awareness of this word. As I move forward and begin to live my life in Haiti, I want people to find their hope in Jesus. I want them to know that their hope IS Jesus. It's not comfort, possessions or the myriad of other things we try and complicate life with. Our hope is Jesus. Plain and simple.

One Thread at a Time

I'm 28 years old and I never thought my life would look this way. I'm 5 days away from moving to Haiti. That's right... HAITI! Probably the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word Haiti is the devastating earthquake in January of 2010, that literally brought the country to its knees. Poverty. Starvation. Corruption. Despair. Hopeless. These are words that people associate with Haiti. So why in the world would I be headed to this country that seems to be so broken? Hope. My world view has shifted. Where someone sees a sick child with no chance, I see a life that God has ordained and a child that He has a plan and hope for! Where someone would see land that is empty and seemly has no purpose, I see opportunity and the possibility of what could be! I will be working with an organization called Mission of Hope. Their vision, as an organization following Jesus Christ is to see life transformation for every man, woman and child in Haiti! And I am blessed to be a part of it!

One of many things that the Lord has been teaching me is that He is writing an EPIC story, for everyone! His orchestration is beautiful. He is weaving such an intricate and strategic tapestry. Imagine it like this, every life is a single thread. Alone, it doesn't really seem like much but once it is looped with another thread, it becomes a bit stronger and the pattern becomes a little more complex. So as I prepare to go to Haiti it is absolutely unbelievable how many threads I have been strategically interwoven with. Threads from Colorado. Threads from Arkansas. Threads from 10 years ago. Threads from 10 days ago. God has put people in my life that I never knew I would need. And I know there will be more! So many threads! One thread at a time He is weaving lives together. I know that I am exactly where I am suppose to be, for such a time as this. There is a lot of "unknown" that lies ahead, but I see it as a journey. Even better yet, an ADVENTURE!!