I had always wanted
to go to Haiti with our church group. Each time they went and came back with
pictures, I would just long to go. I wanted to snuggle with the orphans, serve
those who needed to be served, and I wanted to make a little difference. Ever since
I was ten years old I had a desire to go to Haiti. It was on my bucket list of
things that I most definitely had to do before my time ran out. On January 29th
of this year, I was sitting in church listening to the message. The message was
on living with Jesus, loving like Jesus, and leading others to do the same. Our
Pastor mentioned the Haiti mission group that was going to be going to Haiti
and asked for anyone who was interested in going to go and see him afterwards.
The tug the Lord was giving on my heart was so evident.
Right after the service I rushed over to my dad and said, “I’m going to Haiti
this year.” He kind of gave me a look that he didn’t necessarily think so. I
told him that I was going to talk to our Pastor about it, he let me, but I could
tell he thought I was just dreaming. I talked to the Pastor and I just got so
excited. I didn’t even think about what it was going to be like in Haiti, or
how I was going to get the money, or how I was going to survive being in a
different country without my parents, I just knew one thing. That was that I had
to go. I assured my parents that I was going to raise the money myself. I
posted on FaceBook that I was going to Haiti and so many people donated for me
to go. So much so that I didn’t have to raise any money at all. It was such a
blessing.
As the date drew
nearer and nearer, I was just overjoyed that I was going to be able to make a
little mark on the world. It took a total of probably two months for me to get
my passport, my shots, and my medications. As months turned to weeks before we
left, my heart was about to explode.
Our church went to camp about a week before we left and
there was a song played there called, “Send Us Out” and I feel like God speaks
to me in songs. The bridge goes, “And we will be the hands and feet to the lost
and the least of these. Send us out! Send us!” The entire time we were at camp
the song rang through my head. I was ready for God to send me out. I was ready
to be sent to Haiti. There was also another song called “No Longer Slaves”.
That song also spoke to me. The lyrics go “I’m no longer a slave to fear, I am
a child of God.” That one spoke to me as I sat down in the car that drove us to
the airport. I was so excited to go, but at the last minute when we were in the
parking lot, a little bit of fear sparked in my mind. It was fear of the
unknown. Fear of not knowing what Haiti was going to be like, fear of not
knowing if I would get homesick or not, fear of leaving my comfortable home to
go to a third world country. It was only for a moment, though. I thought to
myself that I was no longer a slave to the fear, I am a child of God. And
because I’m a child of God, He’ll care for me. So no matter how far I am from
my parents, my country, my home, my comfort. God’s always going to be there
right beside me because I’m His child. When I stepped into the car, packed my
bags, and headed out, that was just the beginning of it all. The beginning of
an experience that I will never forget…
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