I'm so glad that God knows!
Living in Haiti has been in interesting ripple effect time in my life. I have met so many interesting people in the midst of the disaster relief efforts. I've met previous missionaries to Haiti, who are like heroes of faith of old. It's incredible to meet people you've only heard glowing stories about and then to get to know them and love yourself! I met millionaires and movers and shakers of companies and countries. I even met a couple of congressmen...
After 12 days straight of medical disaster relief work, I got pulled from the clinic to go "shopping" for more med supplies at the airport. Sounds weird, I know, but it's true. When I arrived at Carl and Maya Gilles' guesthouse in Port Au Prince that night (the same guesthouse that I lived in for the month of November), I had the joy of seeing Dan and Joy Irvine again. They're my area directors. That night, Joy asked me what I wanted to do for the next 4 days in Haiti before I left for some rest. I would have gone back to the clinic if necessary, but that type of medical care is emotionally and physically exhausting. So, I sent up a quick prayer for grace and could honestly reply, "Whatever you need me to do."
She hugged me and got excited and asked me to run the guesthouse! Her future grandson Will (aka Mois) was in the process of being adopted by her oldest daughter (and my good friend from church back home in SC). Following the earthquake, adoptions in process were being sped up. Joy was offered a small window of opportunity to get Will to the States to live with his new mommy and daddy. Only she had to be at the American Embassy the following morning before 6 am, leaving the guesthouse without someone to make sure food was prepared and clean linens were available. It was perfect! I love being part of a miracle!
It was also the perfect task for me! It was wonderful to still be helping but also to help in a different, less stressful way than the clinic had been. And that first night, I had a neat opportunity to share Christ.
Our guests for the evening for a neat and gracious group of people from FL. It included 2 congressmen, one a FL House Representative and the other a member of the FL state Senate. The latter helped me dry dishes after dinner, peppering me with questions for over an hour about my faith. It was his first international trip (he sure picked a doozy!!) and he grappled to process the devastation. He asked me to put my faith aside and explain to him why I was spending a year in Haiti. I could not answer that. Apart from my faith, I would not be able to function in Haiti. I feel that God asked me to work in Haiti and serve the people there, just as His Son, Jesus, served people during His time on earth.
For many, what sustains them is their faith. Most people now live in tents; even if their homes are still standing, many are not structurally stable enough for the owners to live in. Large aftershocks are still causing surviving structures to topple. Forty thousand people are camped out in the yard of One Mission Society, a missionary station. Every night they sing hymns. From around flickering camp fires come strains of “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” While I personally did not see this, the story is a ripple in my life, a ripple that encourages me.
Please don't forget that your life ripples into another's!!!
1 comment:
I like the idea of lives rippling into each other. I remember when our lives rippled together more often... remember those summer days of swimming and then all three of us showering together. :)~ Remember our Barbie games where Katy would go around murdering the other dolls. Remember bus rides, bike rides and just hanging out. I like to think about those days and it reminds me of all the sides and phases of life that God has planned for us (the easy, the tough, the good and the bad). Love you tons and can't wait to see you again!
Post a Comment