Ok, so I'm horrible at keeping up with my blog, but to get back into the swing of things, I thought I would try my hand at this challenge to share the story of a journey.
I grew up in a Christian family, living a Spiritual life, so I have a number of "journeys" I could share, some of them more fun to hear or read about than others. And I'm a talker, daughter of a preacher, so I can make anything into an interesting story...or so I think.
I have a heart for missions: sharing my faith with the world. I went on my first mission trip at 16 to build churches in Mexico. At 19, I went to New Orleans to help with Katrina clean up. During college, things never quite worked out for me to go on the international missions that I wanted to go on, France, Germany, South Africa...things just weren't on my side. I graduated with my BS in May of 2009 and was presented with the opportunity to go on a mission trip. I didn't have a full time job yet. I had a free summer. Well, sure! I'll go anywhere. Where is the group going? Haiti. Oh.
I've never been afraid to get my hands dirty. I don't mind the hard work. My idea of missions was always an 18 hour international flight and seeing the wonders of the world on the way. But Haiti? What is there to do or see in Haiti? Why would we even go to Haiti? But it was my chance to go see a part of the world I had never seen and share my faith with people in the world and help others. After all, that's what I wanted to do. So, I went. I wrote letters to my family and friends for prayers and support. I researched and studied the language and lifestyle of the Haitians. I packed my bags, and I met my team of 5 at the airport. Three connecting flights, some confusion at an international airport in Port au Prince and 18 hours later, we landed in Cap Haitien, Haiti.
There is nothing in the world, no amount of videos or photos or stories of the poverty and pain, can prepare you for living in Haiti for a month. The smell of the city and the conditions people live in are horrifying (and this was before the earthquake and its devastating affects). In a matter of minutes, I realized just how sheltered a life I had lived for the first 22 years of my life. And in less than that, I realized just how blessed my life truly is. And that isn't even the journey part. We lived at an orphanage for almost four weeks. We slept in bunk beds covered in mosquito nets, ate rice and beans every day, and took cold showers every evening. But that's not the journey part either. The journey I took came through the eyes of the Haitiens: the look of appreciation of a starving child when you give her food, the joy on the face of a child flying a kite in the street, the hope in the eyes of a mother of 12 when you help her pay her rent for just one more year. Despite the living conditions, the extreme poverty and the despair that you see every way you turn, the Haitien people are people full of hope and faith and joy. They have huge hearts and beautiful souls.
Nothing could have prepared me for the journey I took in my trip to Haiti two years ago. I fell in love with the hearts and souls of the men and women and the smiles and hugs of the children. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life.
My friends and family are tired of hearing about Haiti, no doubt. I haven't stopped talking about the orphanage, the children, my friends in Haiti, for over two years. I wouldn't trade my experiences in Haiti for anything. How many of us can say we have had a defining moment where we truly began to appreciate the blessings in our life?
