Preparing to prepare for Haiti

I have been researching opportunities to go on a short term missions trip to Haiti this summer pretty much since the devastating earthquake struck there in January.

This is a fairly recent photo of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  Permanent housing is still not being built by the Haitian government in the earthquake damaged areas.  Hundreds of thousands of people are still living in "tent cities". 

Did you know the unemployment rate in Haiti before the earthquake was around 80%?

People in Haiti are living right now in dangerous conditions, with no homes, no income and no hope. 


I have been in contact with Forward Edge International about participating in a one week mission to Haiti from July 10-17th.  Team 751 is intended to be a group of individuals, "ordinary Christians", who will arrive in Port-au-Prince and help Haitian work crews with clean up and construction of shelters, disperse tarps, food and supplies, and minister to children in a local girls' orphanage.  The group will attend church in Port-au-Prince on our first full day there, and will spend our time with Haitians who are working to rebuild their own country. 

This is exactly the kind of opportunity I have felt called to, and have been praying about regularly for almost a year now.  I will be submitting my paperwork to FEI within the next few days.  This will be real.

I have to admit, I am scared. I have never been overseas.  I have never been on a "real" missions trip.  I have never left my toddlers for more than 48 hours in a row.  I have never had to stand up before others, as I will do twice at church on May 30th, and ask them to support me financially.  Eric and I rely on God's provision daily - without it, I would not be able to be home full time with the kids - but this is a different kind of reliance, and it is scary to me.  I wonder if I am strong enough to withstand a trip like this, mentally and physically. Prone to anxiety and a lifelong sensitive stomach, it is not a given. Again, God's provision.

I met with our church pastor yesterday to get the ok to speak to the missions committee about my trip and share about it at church in a few weeks.  I came home realizing that within a few more small steps, the decision will be made and my commitment to go will be just that, a commitment. Scary.

I was talking to a few friends yesterday who have been encouraging me to go and are praying for me, and I told them that I feel like the stretching and growing, refining, by God is already happening, NOW!, before I have even submitted my paperwork and made it official.  I am thinking about my fears and praying for peace and strength.  I pray that I will not be afraid.

I am planning to continue updating on my progress in this adventure as things happen.  As of today, I need to raise $1875 for the trip and I need continued prayer that preparations will continue to move forward. Preparations will include: submitting my final paperwork, obtaining my plane tickets, getting some immunizations and my doctor's clearance to go, getting my passport, obtaining travellers insurance, preparing for my short talk at church at the end of the month and studying the fairly thick booklet of information I will receive upon submitting my paperwork. 

Please keep me in your prayers! Pray that I will listen to God's calling and do what He's asking without fear.  Pray that He will be glorified, not only in the work that is done in Haiti by this FEI group, but also in the time leading up to and following the trip.  And please pray about whether you might be able to support me financially for my trip.  I will be sharing more detailed information about that piece of the puzzle in the next week or two.