pouring

I have made it to Haiti! It's been a little over a week since I've settled in for awhile. It's so amazing when you listen to the call the Lord has placed on your heart. There's no place I'd rather be than here in His love, serving Him where He wants me. 

My first team came and went in a blink of an eye. We lodged in the same location my church team did this past March. It was a blessing seeing Anne, Lovince, Darleen, and Jenny (some of the kids at Pastor Josue's orphanage). They still have their special spark since I saw them last. The team was so awesome. I truly felt as if God had put them in my life to prepare my heart for the rest of the summer. I was more sad than I expected when we said our goodbyes. I kinda liked them. Team number two arrived yesterday afternoon and I was exhausted with a capital E. 

Pouring. That's the word that came to mind in my exhaustion. Jesus poured his blood out like a drink offering on the cross for my shame. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith. I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad rejoice with me (Phil 2:17). I want to leave this earth exhausted. I want to continually pour myself out and invest in others. Like Jesus, I want to pour myself out. 

If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. 

Isaiah 58:10

Pouring is totally worth it. The other day, I came into my room after loving on some precious orphans from Faith in Action. I could still feel the little cuteness resting on my chest. You know it's a good day when you can feel a kids face still resting on your chest. Hearing 'Mwen remnen ou anpil anpil anpil' (I love you so so so much) from Lolo is worth the exhaustion. I love serving God. 

Daddy God, continue leading me on the pathway of righteousness. I'm so unworthy of this opportunity You allow me to be in. Give me rest, give me strength. I know that You give me the ultimate rest. You give me everything I need. Daddy God, I'm so thankful for your amazing love that poured blood out for me. 

Be in prayer for the teams this week and the coming week! Check out the trip journals here!   

mustard seed faith

Am I ready?

I look back at journals from past weeks in Haiti with my church team. I sense the fear I had riding on the bus to settle into the lodging area. I can feel the atmosphere of Life Is Hope and Faith In Action with kids playing with girls hair, guys kicking a soccer ball around, and teams trying to learn a little bit of Creole. I feel the pure joy of looking at the Haitian mountains, knowing that I'm loved by the One Who created them. Even in Matthew 17:20, Jesus says, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move". I wipe the tears from my eyes as I have to leave and say a million of good-byes to teams I served with from another state, translators, PPM staff, and the sweet kids. 

Am I ready for this? Am I ready for a longer time spent in Haiti, meeting more people, falling more in love with the country? 

I am ready. I know God isn't finished working in me. He clearly revealed that through my broken heart last summer when I had to depart from Haiti for the first time. I know that He will keep using me and using me as long I am open to it. As scary as it is to go, to obey, to leave, or to pour yourself out, He is always restoring, comforting, and mending. If God is for us, who can be against us? Honestly, when I look at the grand scheme of things, it all happens so fast. This life passes by so quickly. Therefore I am ready for anything God calls me to. 

Please be in prayer for me, Caroline, teams, Haitian staff, Praying Pelican staff, and everybody working together to serve our awesome God this summer in Haiti! It's exactly a week until I step onto a plane to Haiti and I'm a roller coaster of emotions. But most of all, ready to just be used up by the Lord this summer and for the rest of this life on earth. It's such joy to be apart of His will and growing His kingdom. 

oh my stars

I have been quite the blog slacker lately. Two and a half weeks may not be slacking at all but   I didn't even think to log on and describe my incredible training weekend in Minneapolis, MN! Before I start, thanks for all that have been reading and for your prayers. You have no idea how much I feel the love of others showering over me. 

The Friday morning my mom dropped Caroline and I off at the airport, I was full of nervousness, excitement, anxiety, all of the above. I was also full of comfy, warm clothes thinking it would be freezing in Minnesota. Something that I had been praying for was for God to carry us swiftly through the airports because I have this fear of being lost in an airport and missing the plane. Not even joking, we land in Atlanta, get off the plane, find our connecting flight, and the gate was just across from the gate we got off. If you don't believe God can work through just about anything, even making your travels easy and stress-free, there ya go. Proof He was right there with us through it all. 

As we land in Minnesota, you could clearly see snow on the ground. I was proud of myself for actually coming prepared for the weather. Usually, I just do what I think is best and it's never a smart decision. Well, I came prepared and it was not cold one bit. The Mississippians brought the warm weather with them. That's enough about the weather.

Oh my stars. I don't even know where to start how the weekend went. Everyone with PPM is ridiculously awesome and nice! I felt welcomed from the moment I walked into the hotel from the moment I walked out to leave. They are all obviously so in love with the Lord that they're willing to serve Him with everything they have. To be with people like that is the most encouraging thing I've experienced. I know without a doubt God used some people I met to calm my heart about the summer. It's crazy weird how when people are motivated by the same thing which is to glorify the Lord and make His name known all over the world, you feel like you've known these people forever. But in reality, you've only gotten to know them within 2 days. It brought the meaning of being the body of Christ to life for me. As we serve our Father, we are a huge family and we're all in this together. 

I am beyond blessed to have this opportunity. It's been amazing and hard going through this process of God bringing me to this point. I cannot doubt that God has brought me here for a purpose. Through all of this, I've realized not everyone will support me 100%. People will doubt me, will find every reason in the book for me not to go to Haiti this summer, or will tell me it's dangerous. To be honest, I've thought the same things. I have experienced running away from God's callings before. The more running I did, the more exhausted I became, and until the point I ran out of breath, I realized I couldn't keep running. It was miserable running for so long. Surrendering, completely surrendering, is scary. But I've found so much joy, so much peace, and abundant life. Even though sometimes I grow weary and unsure, I will never go back to running from God. Until the end of time, I will run full force to Him. It's a joy to know His arms will always be open. I will pray for the people who doubt and I want to help them understand I was once in their shoes. But I'll keep on buying plane tickets to foreign lands until I go Home. 

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace.

Acts 20:24

join me on this journey

If you've been following along with my blog the past few months, you know I'm returning to Haiti for the summer with Praying Pelican Mission. I encourage you to follow the link and learn more about Praying Pelican. It's an awesome organization that offers short-term mission trips for churches in North America. I can honestly say, it was a tool God used to wreck my life the summer of 2012 and directed me onto His path. The significance to the name 'Praying Pelican' is in times of scarce food, a mother pelican will peck her self until the point of death in order to feed her babies. Just as Christ sacrificed His life for the sake of our sins. 

This Friday, my journey will begin with a spring conference at Praying Pelican's headquarters in Minnesota. My friend, Caroline, is along for the same ride as myself. Thankfully, we have the same flights together which will make the airport not as terrible. We'll be meeting other PPM staff, hearing all that is planned for the summer, and just worshipping the gracious Lord that allows us to be apart of all this serving! Other than that, I'm not sure what to expect at this conference. But I can only imagine it'll be good. 

I cannot express how anxious I am to get the summer rolling and meet teams across North America in Haiti! At times I don't feel at all ready for any of this responsibility but I've heard once (on Pinterest) from Margaret Shepherd, "Sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith". How true! How am I suppose to continue growing if I don't listen to the callings God gives me? How am I suppose to know more of who God is if I'm not putting myself out there to be His hands and feet? He is our refuge and our fortress therefore there is no reason not to follow His callings. 

Caroline and I will be at the airport bright and early Friday morning, ready to board a plane to Minnesota. That in itself should be an experience because I'm from Mississippi which is a warm place and I hear Minnesota has this weird, white, cold stuff. I think it's cold snow? I ask you to pray for us and for the Lord to direct us every step of the way!

do your best

Come on, brain. You can do it. Only 14 more days of classes which is 3 weeks and 4 days of finals is separating you from freedom. Focus. Give it all you got.

Semesters are always great until the last few weeks until it ends. My mind goes into break mode way too soon. But it can't shut down now! I still have to study my hiney off for finals! Why do all college students fall into this trap at the end of our hard-earned semester? I will never know. 

Lets read Colossians 3:23. "Servants, do what you're told by your earthly masters. And don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance". 

What? Really? God, it's school though. Sigh, ok. 

Do your best. I hope that's an encouragement to you now. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing. My Marriage and Family class could be a tool God uses for people I will meet in the future. You're next trip to the grocery store, you could find an opportunity to show the love of Christ. Always do your best for the Lord now because we have a beautiful time of rest awaiting us.  

The Word and coffee will be my strength through the next few weeks. 

i can be weak

As I sit on the floor of my room, looking at my opened suitcase, my pup looking at me, I'm gently reminded that I wasn't created to be strong. My strength doesn't come from me nor will it ever. If I was strong, where would my need for God be? So often, I become wrapped up in the world and believe the lie that I have to be strong in everything. I guess that's why these sweet reminders from the Lord are so well, sweet. 

When I'm asked to lead a team on Wednesday nights, or lead a group of 7th grade girls at Disciple Now weekend, or get accepted to an awesome internship with an incredible non-profit organization like Praying Pelican, I automatically think I need to be strong and not show any weaknesses. A lie. This is what is so lovely about our Lord! He shines His glorious light through our weaknesses. "I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord" (Psalm 121:1-2). His Spirit in us is sufficient for any situation, trouble that comes our way. I don't have to constantly worry where my strength will come from. It's a scary thought if I ever had to rely on my human strength because I wouldn't make it very long. So grateful for His strength in me. 

Why am I packing? My friend and I were asked to lead a prayer walk at a ladies retreat this weekend. At first, I was hesitant because these ladies have lived more life than me. They need to leading ME in a prayer walk. But God gives us various opportunities for a purpose. I only need to trust and rely in His strength. Thank You for Your strength and the peace within Your strength, Lord! 

Praying for an awesome time of visiting, growing, refreshing, and relaxing weekend with sweet ladies at our church! 

we are the body

HE IS RISEN! 

Hallelujah! Hallelujah is a word translated the same in all languages and a word we'll be saying all of eternity together. Thank You, Jesus, for making it possible to spend eternity with you. How You lived a life I can never live and died the death I deserved is something I'll never grasp. For that I am forever grateful. 

Our journey didn't end at the cross. We continue to shine His light on earth until He returns. I found this song and I've replayed it a thousand times. It fits with what our life now looks like after the resurrection of our Savior. We are the body of Christ and we reach out to the least of these. 

We are the body of the most high

We are the bride of the Savior

And we fall for the king of the Kingdom

As we sing the songs of salvation

And we stand for those that cannot stand for themselves

And we love the loveless

And we go where Your light's not shining

We are the body of Christ

We shine like a city on a hilltop

We boast in the Spirit living in us

And we march on a road leading to freedom

As we reach out our hands to the fallen

And we bring living water to the thirsty

And we live for the One who was and is and is to come 

So our life counts for something greater than ourselves

We are the body of Christ

And our anthem will be a song of praise to the King 

"He is worthy, He is worthy"

With one voice we will sing 

"Where oh death where is your sting"

He is mighty, He is mighty