Five Days in Haiti

Just a few words to try and describe my Five Days in Haiti

Nearly 72 hours home from five days in Haiti and I am still processing the impact of the trip.  During one of our evening "decompression sessions" as a team, we were all asked how we thought we would describe the trip when people asked back home.  We had to give a one word/phrase response.  How do you do that? How do you describe such an impactful trip in just a couple short words?  It's impossible...

Still, my gut response to the question is and was: Motivating.  This trip has been motivating for me in that I was able to see and hear (1) how the work we are doing with Kids Against Hunger is making an impact in the lives of men, women, and children in Haiti; (2) how the food is a part of restoring hope to people struggling to find it most days; and (3) how there is so much more work we can do to make a difference and to share the love of Jesus.  Seeing the opportunity to do more with partners like Kids Against Hunger and Nehemiah Vision Ministries (that's the mission we stayed at while in country) has kept my mind racing with ideas over these last three days.  More importantly, my heart and mind need to be focused on praying for guidance and direction so that I can understand how God wants to use me and our family in more global outreach efforts.  I am certainly feeling a tug on my heart in that direction, but I am praying that the family will have some opportunities for personal experiences so it becomes more than something we send Dad to do and they can feel even stronger that short term mission work is something our entire family actively participates in.

I also have to give a shout-out to the amazing team I was able to travel with.  These are all special people with a passion for the work we're doing with Kids Against Hunger and/or Haiti.  Through this experience I have been blessed with eight great new friends that I look forward to continuing to serve alongside and help further the kingdom of God.

The next few weeks will continue to bring conversations, meetings, and debriefings from this trip that I hope will help set the stage for future opportunities.  I feel very strongly that God used this trip for me as an introduction to Haiti and I will return.

Heading to Haiti

We headed out very early this morning for our trip to Haiti with Kids Against Hunger. I have had the opportunity to spend a few hours with this group of people that make up our small team and I feel very fortunate to be a part of such a great group who all share a passion for the work Kids Against Hunger is doing and a personal relationship with Jesus.

There is a lot that I am anxious about, however, as we travel today. The uncertainty about what exactly we'll be doing is testing my desire to be submissive to what plans God has in store for us and will reveal when we arrive. As I did with my trip to Ghana last year, I am determined to say YES to whatever is asked of me and enter into this experience with a desire to serve and be humbled. Also, we are arriving on the three year anniversary of the terrible earthquake that killed so many people and destroyed so much of Haiti. I wonder how this anniversary will emotionally effect the people of Haiti and if that will change or impact the way visitors will be received in the country..... I wonder if I'm over thinking things.....

Mostly I am excited to see how God is working in Haiti. At the commissioning of this team and trip earlier this week, our team leader borrowed a Celtic tradition to describe Haiti as being one of the 'thin' places on earth - A place where we are more easily able to see the Glory of God. We can get so distracted with our earthly lives: our responsibilities at work, our activities, acquiring new toys, or trying to accomplish something that these things can become barriers or part of what we unintentionally build up as a barricade between us and our Heavenly Father. As a result, we can miss out on really experiencing the relationship he desires to have with us because we are distracted by other STUFF. My perception of Haiti is that it may be a thin place because those things we Americans allow to distract us, just aren't as prevalent there as we're used to. As a result, we are able to see Him more clearly.

The challenge to us, of course, is that we do our part everyday to purposely find those thin places and remove the barriers. It's just so hard sometimes when our culture seems to encourage the barriers. I guess that's why I'm looking forward to stepping outside our culture and experiencing God in a different and new context. I'm certain there will be moments of discomfort, but I pray the thinness of Haiti will allow me to quickly find comfort wih my God.

The year that Love Does.

Last year was the year of MORE for me. My four resolutions were to:

1) Take MORE pictures.
2) Be MORE grateful.
3) Spend MORE time with my kids
4) Do MORE for others.

All in all, I think I did a pretty good job in 2012 with these resolutions and I could point to a number of specific ways I lived my life with these four resolutions in mind.

In thinking and planning resolutions for 2013, I was able to easily create a list of tasks and objectives I want to accomplish this year, but I really enjoy resolutions that are not items to check off a list, but instead challenge me to examine how I live my life and force me to consider the intentions of my behaviors, not just simple accomplishments or activities.  I could easily look at my four resolutions from 2012 and choose those again as focus areas for me, and I probably will work to continue do MORE in 2013, but as for my choice of resolutions for the year I am turning to my favorite book from 2012.

If you haven't read Love Does by Bob Goff, I would highly recommend it.  It's a very easy read but has some great messages, stories, and inspiration for any reader.  As I read the book I was definitely inspired, but struggled a bit to bring Bob's stories and the inspiration they provided into my own life.  It was answering the HOW do I apply these lessons learned to my life and my family that I struggled a bit with.  Then I received my answer and discovered my 2013 resolutions.  I was fortunate to get a signed copy of the book.  When I opened it up to the authors signature, he had written: Love God; Love People; Do Stuff!  In trying to process the message of the book and Bob's stories, I ended up over thinking it.  The message is pretty simple at it's core and he summed it up perfectly with six words: Love God; Love People; Do Stuff!

So, those are my resolutions this year - challenges for myself personally and my entire family.  The fun will be filling in the spaces.  Living life each day doing stuff that will demonstrate our love for others and our love for God.  I've got a couple ideas on how these resolutions will come alive in our lives, but we'll see what actually happens.

The year of MORE

I have made a few resolutions as part of this new year that are important for me to follow through on this year.  Before we get too far into 2012, I want to make sure I get them down and share them with others so I can have others helping to encourage and hold me accountable to make certain I complete them:

• Take more pictures.  This one may seem crazy, knowing how many pictures I already take, but I slowed down this past year - mostly because of camera problems.  Now that I have an iPhone, I don't know that I have an excuse.
• Be more grateful.  I was inspired by a friend who resolved last year to post as a Facebook status everyday something she was thankful for each day.  While I am not making mine public yet, I have been writing each day about those things - big and small - that I am thankful for. 
• Spend more time with my kids. Primarily, I mean one-on-one time.  The two oldest are getting to the point where I can see my time with them slipping away faster and faster.  I want to spend more time growing our relationships and staying in touch with who they are and are growing to become.
• Do more for others. This past year I began to feel a real tugging on my heart to do more for others, to get involved in more service and outreach programs.  I want to make sure that I am actively serving at least once a month.  Perhaps even combine this time with my time spent with my kids and make an even bigger impact!

So apparently, 2012 will be all about MORE!  These four resolutions all represent areas of my life that I am already active in, but I am not satisfied with the level of activity or engagement I have had in these areas.  This will be the year that I focus on growing in these specific areas.  Stay tuned for stories and updates as I venture through the year.

December Days - 12.28.10

There are no pictures to share today.  It's our last day in Oregon before a very early flight tomorrow.

We are so blessed with a great life in Indiana, but there are times like today when I struggle to remember what was so bad about our life in Oregon with family close by that made us (me) seek something different.  When I think about it for a moment though I am reminded that it wasn't that life wasn't good, but that we felt a calling and something pulling us to be in Indiana.

I knew then and still believe today that God had/has something special in store for us in Indiana.  That move four years ago was more about obedience than opportunity, and that's a great lesson for my kids to learn.  As hard as leaving wonderful family behind is, there are and have been many incredible blessings for us in Indiana.  As questions and doubts creep into my mind, it's these blessings that remind me why it's important to be obedient and how God has already used our family.

So, yes, we all leave Oregon very sad from tearful good-byes, but heading home to Indiana brings a different kind of comfort.  It's just the distance between the different that makes it so tough; and I wish being obedient didn't make my family cry.