I've admitted to Chris a couple of times that I would much more eager to visit Haiti this summer if we didn't have to fly on an airplane to get there. (I don't like flying much at all) This has sparked conversations between us about fear, trust, being held back, and how different the two of us are. Chris fears very little and isn't held back by much (which explains why he loved skydiving) I however am cautious. I like to know what is coming. I've heard many times that statistics say driving a car is much more risky than flying, but it doesn't help my apprehension much. Flying requires trust in a lot that's out of my grasp-the pilot's ability, the maintenance people, the actual plane's structure/functioning, the gas tank that I didn't personally fill, the weather. Logically, it doesn't make much sense to be afraid of flying, but I still don't look forward to getting on that plane June 2 and looking down to see only the blue ocean for a few hours!!
So, do we pray that God will keep us safe? Hmmm. I have prayed that He will. I have also prayed that He will make my desire to obey Him and for eternity with Him greater than anything in this world! Today in church we sang "How great is our God", and there's a line that goes "Time is in your hands, the beginning and the end." I've always taken this to mean the beginning of time and the end of time, but today I think the Lord let me hear it as the beginning of my life and the end of my life- in His hands. Psalm 139 immediately came to mind, "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." And then the entire chapter talks about how personally God knows us and the events of our lives. And I felt a surge of trust! Thank you Lord! He is helping me to give this over to Him, one plane ride I have to face at a time! Trusting Him is so hard sometimes, but it's so freeing-almost too good to be true. Thank you Lord that you care enough to put us in situations that we HAVE to lean on you. Help us to do this every day even when we might THINK we are the ones in control!
May 15, 2011
May 4, 2011
Going Back!
Yes, it's true! We have been praying this year about taking a trip back to Fauche this summer, since it is Chris's last official summer break and my job ends in May. When we left Haiti, we definitely had a desire to come back and visit, and God has made a way for us to go. We're so thankful that Chris's school (IU-Terre Haute) will be funding his entire trip, since he will be working in the clinic and getting medical experience. So we aren't going to need to raise support or delay. Thanks Lord. So we will be going June 2-June 30th, and flying on MFI. (another praise, that we were able to get seats on this missionary airline)
Going back is so different than going to Haiti for the first time. We know so much more of what to expect and can actually visualize what everything looks like. We also aren't going as strangers, which is comforting and exciting since we will get to spend time with the Thede's and visit with Haitian friends. Chris will shadow doctors in the clinic and participate with much more knowledge, which will be neat. Also, there is a team coming from the States during the second two weeks which I (Kath) will get to help out with. Those are the two main things we have planned about our trip.
Wow, going for one month versus going for eight months seems completely different! Suddenly a month seems very short, while before it would have seemed like a very long missions trip. It is also different- in a cool way- going to a
place that we have been before. All school year we've been talking here and there about the possibility of going, and what we could do there, but also what we could do instead. Honestly it's been hard not to choose to do our own thing in June. We love Haiti, there are so many aspects to draw us there, but it's also not a vacation spot. We prayed that God would make it happen or keep us here- so we are going with gratitude, God has definitely provided!
It has been interesting talking with friends, family, and co-workers about Haiti this year. We are still unsure about how to talk about it! We don't want to romanticize it, don't want to make it sound worse than it was, want to be honest but not too negative or go too deep when someone is just asking to be polite (haha) and don't know how to explain things or what we've learned very well! I'm sure this is a completely common experience for people who go overseas. Or even for people who go away to college or go through any time in life away from the "norm." I have found myself trying to explain not giving to everyone who asks to co-workers who simply could not understand and felt like I needed to defend myself and people they don't even know, we have found ourselves telling stories about Haiti and then later wondering if people are sick of hearing about it!, and many other scenarios. I wish I had the perfect response to everyone, and a way to tell about God's faithfulness, but it can't be summed up very easily! We feel protective of Haiti and the Thede's and their ministry and what we learned through being their "kids" for a few months. But it is just impossible to share it all! Which has been a challenge! But it's also been fun to talk about and discover what we learned, how we changed.
Well, all this to say that we are really anticipating our trip and whatever God has in store. Thank you Lord that we are able to go back. Thank you Thede's for taking us back, and thank you cockroaches and spiders for kindly evacuating our house before we return. Please pray for us as we prepare to go!
(picture of Chris doing a sweet volleyball pose at Sloan family Easter)
Going back is so different than going to Haiti for the first time. We know so much more of what to expect and can actually visualize what everything looks like. We also aren't going as strangers, which is comforting and exciting since we will get to spend time with the Thede's and visit with Haitian friends. Chris will shadow doctors in the clinic and participate with much more knowledge, which will be neat. Also, there is a team coming from the States during the second two weeks which I (Kath) will get to help out with. Those are the two main things we have planned about our trip.
Wow, going for one month versus going for eight months seems completely different! Suddenly a month seems very short, while before it would have seemed like a very long missions trip. It is also different- in a cool way- going to a
place that we have been before. All school year we've been talking here and there about the possibility of going, and what we could do there, but also what we could do instead. Honestly it's been hard not to choose to do our own thing in June. We love Haiti, there are so many aspects to draw us there, but it's also not a vacation spot. We prayed that God would make it happen or keep us here- so we are going with gratitude, God has definitely provided!It has been interesting talking with friends, family, and co-workers about Haiti this year. We are still unsure about how to talk about it! We don't want to romanticize it, don't want to make it sound worse than it was, want to be honest but not too negative or go too deep when someone is just asking to be polite (haha) and don't know how to explain things or what we've learned very well! I'm sure this is a completely common experience for people who go overseas. Or even for people who go away to college or go through any time in life away from the "norm." I have found myself trying to explain not giving to everyone who asks to co-workers who simply could not understand and felt like I needed to defend myself and people they don't even know, we have found ourselves telling stories about Haiti and then later wondering if people are sick of hearing about it!, and many other scenarios. I wish I had the perfect response to everyone, and a way to tell about God's faithfulness, but it can't be summed up very easily! We feel protective of Haiti and the Thede's and their ministry and what we learned through being their "kids" for a few months. But it is just impossible to share it all! Which has been a challenge! But it's also been fun to talk about and discover what we learned, how we changed.
Well, all this to say that we are really anticipating our trip and whatever God has in store. Thank you Lord that we are able to go back. Thank you Thede's for taking us back, and thank you cockroaches and spiders for kindly evacuating our house before we return. Please pray for us as we prepare to go!
(picture of Chris doing a sweet volleyball pose at Sloan family Easter)
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