Preperations

Today is a day of getting ready.

Things done so far:

Purchased One Way Ticket to Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Sent Lots of Emails
Posted Facebook Updates
Typed a few Blogs
Purchased Travel Insurance! (yea! For discount for Haiti Relief Thank You insuremytrip.com)
Picked up some extra Malaria Pills (Thank You Dr. Dover)
Sprayed Clothes and Mosquito Net with Heavy Duty Bug Spray Stuff
Began Breaking in Awesome Boots
Fasting
Praying
Laundry
Reserved a Hotel Room
Confirmed Shuttle


Thank you for all your prayers, I really do have peace about this that could only come from God.

Heading to Haiti

Okay so the word is that I am to fly to Florida before Monday and then I will leave Florida Monday Morning for Haiti. That is all I know thus far.

Thanks again for all the prayers!

Hurry Up and Wait

There is a lot more to being a missionary than I originally thought, and one of those things most missionaries fail to mention in their speeches at churches is the idea of, "Hurry up and Wait." I too have struggled with how best share with you my supporters what the Road to Rome is like. Do I paint you a pretty picture, do I bore you with details, or do I give you the raw truth. I am opting more and more for the raw version.

Why? Because I feel there are a lot of misunderstandings about missions, and missionaries and I want to have a more open dialogue about the reality of missions. So today we tackle just one aspect of missionary life, that of, Hurry Up and Wait.

This applies more often than not I am finding. When I applied to be a missionary with ReachGlobal it was a 6 month application process, filled with many, many tests and forms in the beginning, then months of waiting, then interviews, then more waiting. Then a plane ride to Minnesota for a week long interview and information session, then an day of waiting for the final decision.

Seeing that this is how things started you would think I would have caught a clue that this was just the beginning.

Then there is Support Raising, which any honest missionary would tell you is a whole lot of hurrying, for appointments, and contacts and phone calls, and an abundance of waiting for returns on those investments. If you have ever worked on a church committee then you can imagine just how much waiting it takes to get a decision from a church on whether or not they can and will support you.

Right now, I am waiting for the remaining 49% of my support to come in. I would be lying if I told you this waiting was easy. That is not to say I cannot see God at work even in the waiting. I have indeed seen him at work in the waiting, and I know He is using this time to prepare me for more, Hurry Up and Wait. As that is culture in Italy, and many parts of the the world.

I am also waiting for word on when I will be heading to Haiti, right now this is the hardest wait, because I can see reminders everywhere of the vast need, and I long to be there working, serving and growing in my relationship with God. But again I hurried to get ready to go and now I wait.

As I touched on waiting is not horrible, it is part of the process, part of being a missionary, perhaps part of being used by God. As I wait I am not only waiting on people but I am waiting on God. That is a good but not always easy place to be.

How can you help me in all of this waiting? So glad you asked.

1. Pray for me. That I will continue to wait on God and His will and timing rather than own.
2. Join me in fasting tomorrow for the people of Haiti. Perhaps as we wait together at the feet of Jesus on behalf of the people of Haiti we will in fact be just where He wants us to be.
3. If you have a church that I can come and share at please invite me to do so. If you work at a church I would strongly encourage you to take some time, to look at your missions policy and missionaries and see if there are ways you could help speed along some of the waiting. There is room for improvement on both sides.


Thanks for joining me on this journey for encouraging me along the way, and for your many prayers, it really does help especially in the times of waiting.



Lessons learned during the wait:

God is Faithful
I cannot do this alone
My timing and God's timing are not the same and His is best.
Waiting gives you time to wait on the Lord, use that time wisely.
If I was in Rome already we would have missed out on being in Haiti.
My waiting is nothing in comparison to those waiting for Food, Justice, and Shelter, Hope and Peace.
There is time now to rest, there might not be soon.
What can I be doing for God and with God here and now?
I need to be ready when the time comes

Just to name a few.

Haiti Update

1. I am still here in CA waiting to hear when I can go to Haiti.
2. Good things are happening...Read below and join me in Praising God!
Brian And Sarah's Update
Missionary Aviation Fellowship: Call to Prayer and Fasting

Great Info On Haiti past Present and Future: Haiti's Hour This is a webinar link, it is a bit long, but worth watching and listening to for a better understanding of Haiti's Situation. Provided by World Relief

3. In light of the updates I am going to be fasting on Friday, join me in praying that God would indeed Save the nation of Haiti, and that it would have it's foundation built on Him.

Join me in Praying through this Passage with Haiti in mind:

Proverbs 3 (New International Version)


Further Benefits of Wisdom
1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,

2 for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you prosperity.

3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.

4 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight. [a]

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.

8 This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.

9 Honor the LORD with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;

10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.

11 My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline
and do not resent his rebuke,

12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
as a father [b] the son he delights in.

13 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
the man who gains understanding,

14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.

15 She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.

16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.

17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.

18 She is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
those who lay hold of her will be blessed.

19 By wisdom the LORD laid the earth's foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in place;

20 by his knowledge the deeps were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.

21 My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment,
do not let them out of your sight;

22 they will be life for you,
an ornament to grace your neck.

23 Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble;

24 when you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

25 Have no fear of sudden disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

26 for the LORD will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being snared.

27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it,
when it is in your power to act.

28 Do not say to your neighbor,
"Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow"—
when you now have it with you.

29 Do not plot harm against your neighbor,
who lives trustfully near you.

30 Do not accuse a man for no reason—
when he has done you no harm.

31 Do not envy a violent man
or choose any of his ways,

32 for the LORD detests a perverse man
but takes the upright into his confidence.

33 The LORD's curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the home of the righteous.

34 He mocks proud mockers
but gives grace to the humble.

35 The wise inherit honor,
but fools he holds up to shame.

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 3:6 Or will direct your paths
2. Proverbs 3:12 Hebrew; Septuagint / and he punishes

New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica

Holding Pattern

First off thank you for all your kind words, your prayers and your support!

I wanted to let you know that as of yesterday (meaning could change at any moment) I am in a holding pattern for Haiti. I spoke with some of the men in charge and they felt that at this point Haiti is too unstable/unsafe and they would like to hold off in sending me.

So I am waiting.

When I signed up to go I was willing but not longing to go. In the past week I have developed a heart for Haiti, and for the people there, and I can honestly say I long to be there helping as soon as can.

I will keep you posted.

Please continue to pray for those serving there, and for the people of Haiti who for so long have lived in the midst of death and fear. Pray with me that God will use the people who are left and the people on the ground to bring peace, and life to the nation of Haiti! That He will not only meet their needs but will raise them up out of the rubble and plant them on a firm foundation!

I want to be sure you see positive images coming out of Haiti not just the stories the news chooses to focus on. Here are some pictures from last Sunday morning in Haiti, where hundreds of Haitians gathered together in a tent to worship God!



The images are of my team leader Sarah and some local people, whose names I do not know. Please pray for more of these kind of situations and reports flowing out of Haiti!

"Are you excited? Are you Ready?"

These are the two most popular responses of friends when I tell them I am heading to Haiti. Excited is not the right word, and I am having a difficult time finding one that sums up the energy about me when I think of going to Haiti. I am not scared. And as surprised about that you, but I can honestly say I have an indescribable sense of calm. Peace, maybe, but peace implies that I am not bothered,and I am. I am saddened by my lack of knowledge about Haiti prior to this Earthquake, disturbed by the ongoing decay in the country and lives of the people who call it home. At the same time calm, because I fully see hope in the person of Jesus Christ and have joy in the fact that in some small way I will get to minister to the needs of the people in a country that to be honest I still know very little about.

Which leads me to the question of readiness. How can one ever be ready for this? I am more prepared than I was last year, even more than last week ore yesterday. I have been through training with ReachGlobal, I have worked a week here and there at the Dream Center, never imagining that I would need that experience as much as I am drawing on it now. I got my shots, I am getting Malaria meds in my system. I am reading Mountains Beyond Mountains, watching the news old and new on Haiti, and I am collecting my supplies, but no I am not ready.

I doubt I will be ready. But I am not sure that it matters...if I failed to go because of my lack of preparedness I would miss out on having God meet me in my weaknesses. I know I am going to need God like never before, and I am ready for him to meet me in Haiti in ways I cannot prepare for.

God and I met this morning when he woke me up so we could have an early morning chat. He kindly reminded me of the call He has placed on my life. A call that fits for Rome, fit for Youth Ministry, Children's Ministry and fits for Haiti. Jeremiah 1 is God calling Jeremiah to be a prophet to the nations. It is also how God called me into an awareness of who He created me to be. It was what I needed to hear this morning a reminder of God's hand that knit me together, His hand that touched my lips and placed His words in my mouth, His hand that is holding me now and His hand that will rescue me in my time of need.

So, yes I am excited to see how the life God has created me for continues to unfold as I follow His prompting. And yes, I am ready to know God in new ways as I encounter Him in the lives of His children in Haiti and as I struggle to understand Him in midst of a disaster so devastating.

BIG NEWS Going to Serve in Haiti

I have been asked and approved to head to Haiti to join the Crisis Response hand of TouchGlobal and ReachGlobal from February 9th through the first week of March to serve with Brian and Sarah and other Reach Global missionaries. It looks like right now I will be working to set up two houses that will be used to house all the future teams of relief workers. I will also be working on building and maintaining relationships with all of the new organizations we will be partnering with to be the most effective in helping the people of Haiti.

Many of you are giving to my financial support for Rome, and I still need you to keep doing that, and I will be continuing work on raising the remainder of my support. I am pleased to point out that I am now at 50% of my monthly support for Rome up 8% from last week. It seems that God is honoring my obedience to go wherever He leads and new supporters began rolling in as soon as I said I was willing to go.

If you would like to Give a special gift towards the ministry I will be doing in Haiti, I do need money for airfare, and to get some Haiti appropriate clothing and supplies as well as all the shots and travel insurance that I need. Please let me know if you would like to give in that way and I will let you know how to do that.

If you cannot give above and beyond what you are already giving but would like to be involved I would REALLY Value your prayers. Pray that God would be preparing my heart and mind for this time, that I would be a blessing to all that I work with and for. And of course Pray for the people of Haiti. I am also in need of some supplies like:

good boots (size 9)
water purifier for a water bottle
First Aid kit
Bug Net
Batteries
High Energy Snacks

I will let you know of other needs.

Pray Pray Pray

Thanks