The Beauty of Challenges

Isaiah 40:28-29 "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives his strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."

I cant express how it felt to wake up in the compound this morning not only knowing that Im actually here in Haiti but to think that I will be waking up here for 5 weeks. Once I finally fell asleep last night  I slept well. I must say it is hard to fall asleep when there are bugs in your bed and mosqitos all around your head from the scented shampoo I used. I was pretty nervous last night and just was having the hardest time falling asleep, and then my friend told me to ask God to put me under His wing and to just pray. I stopped thinking about the bugs in my bed, how itchy and hot I was and just started thanking God for allowing me to be here. Its amazing how when you allow yourself to be still and pray to God, He brings a tremendous amount of peace to your mind and reminds you to rest in Him.

This morning we had some oatmeal, worshiped and talked about fear with the team. We each got 5 sticky notes and had to write down 5 fears that we have for this trip. I wrote down homesickness/lack of communication, cockroaches, getting sick, letting the challenges of this trip affect me in a negative way and the fear of not doing enough to make a difference. After we wrote our fears down we each one by one posted each sticky not on the wall and had to tell the team what our fears were. What was so comforting about doing this is that it showed me and the team how we are all in the same boat. I know I am not alone in my fears.
It was such a perfect topic to start off the first full day in Haiti and to also discuss what God says about fear after my mind was racing of all my worries last night. God really spoke to me as we read Isaiah 40 this morning. I know that fear does not come from God, it comes from sin. I  feel Gods protection here and know that He is above everything.

We went to Chambrun village today for the first time and I got to play with the kids! It was so surreal to actually be doing what I have always dreamed of. The hardest part was not understanding a thing they were saying. After today, I am so motivated to learn Creole (I have already started practicing). The language barrier is a big challenge. Its hard to connect with the kids when they cant understand you. However, it gave me a chance to just hold their hands, play duck duck goose, laugh and hold them, and just allow God to speak through our actions. They loved when I took pictures of them and looking at the picture. They dont get many chances to see what they look like. Every picture I showed them they would get the biggest smile on their faces. It was so wonderful to see. Please pray for me as I continue this journey in Haiti that has just started. I know that God makes something beautiful out of the challenges, and that is that I am learning to only depend on Him and trust Him with my whole heart, mind, and soul.

                                             Me and some of the precious boys at the village

Its been a wonderful and extremely hot first full day in Haiti. Tonight we had a yummy dinner and played games with the team that really made us all bond so well. To my family back at home. I love and miss you!