Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. ~Dr. Seuss

Friday was my last day of work! Sad day :( However, I arrived home from work to find that my boxes of art supplies had arrived! That was an exciting moment! After being completely overwhelmed by the many choices for art supplies my mom saved the day. She helped me work through my frustration and we decided what all I needed to purchase. I have almost all the supplies I need.

My mom pulled out the suitcases today...this is really happening. It still doesn't seem real to me that I'm actually leaving. I'm sure it will hit me when I'm in the airport or on the plane.

Last week I had the opportunity to speak with a couple from Haiti; they are missionaries living right near my relatives. They are in the states for 6 months, as part of their home service. They shared a lot about Haiti and I was able to ask them some questions. Among other things, I was told that it takes about 2-3 months to ship something to Haiti. I was planning on shipping all my art supplies but they told me that the best option, at this point, would be to take everything down with me in suitcases. So, now we are working on securing another suitcase for me. My mom would like for everything to fit into two suitcases and a carry-on. I am thinking I'll need another suitcase, but we'll see about that :)

I have lists all over the place... People to call, things to pack, items to buy, paper work to fill out, errands I have to run, ect. And, on top of that, I have a million and one things running through my head (stuff that hasn't been added to a list yet)... I am praying that I accomplish everything and remember to pack everything. Tomorrow is orientation!

Fundraising update: $4,375 / 5,600

Waiting...

"Cause I been waiting all my life For a break like this It's my chance of a lifetime, I just know it is I gotta go find these dreams Was the last thing that I said And then I did" ~Rascal Flatts


Waiting has been one of the most difficult things for me to learn and I still struggle with it. God is constantly teaching me to wait for things. 


Faith is waiting- preparing, obeying, and moving with God. He may withhold direction from you cause he wants you to seek him more intently. God is more interested in a relationship with you than in what you can do for him. Waiting reflects our absolute dependance on God.


God is NOT in a hurry! Just because you feel ready, doesn't mean you are ready. Trusting God's timing is huge! God may have you waiting because the timing is not yet right. We don't know what we need, but our heavenly Father does. He equips you for what is to come while you are waiting. {God is less concerned about where you get than the person you are becoming in the process.}


Looking back on my life, I realized that I was not ready to do mission work when I would have liked to. As much as I wanted to go when I was in high school, I was not ready. Even after I graduated from high school, I was not ready. I can see that the year I spent away at college was an important time in my life when God was working, preparing me for what was to come--


I've been waiting...and FINALLY I get to go! The waiting and depending on God was such a challenge. However, now I have a plane ticket :) On November 9 I will be on an airplane, headed for warmer weather and another spectacular adventure with God!


Praise the Lord for His guidance and HIS plan! Pray for these next two weeks to go smoothy. I have many things to finish up- it's crunch time... Good thing I work well under pressure!


"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart" Psalm 37:4

For Such a Time As This

I was asked the question, "How do you like not being in college?" Truth is, I like it a lot. I'm not stressed out like I was during the busy college life that I lead last year. I don't have to manage my time as well as I did last year. I don't have papers to write, teachers to answer too, or caf food to eat! These past two months have been enjoyable and somewhat relaxing.


Yet, I find myself missing the college life. Mostly just the social life I guess :) I have been visiting my friends at their colleges- I know my way around Calvin, Davenport, GVSU, and Cornerstone's campuses. (Well, let's say enough to get myself there, find my friends, and get back home without getting lost!) Believe it or not, I miss staying up way too late, multiple nights in a row, and then being so tired I can't think straight. I miss living in the dorms and being able to go visit my friends who are a hallway or a floor away. I sometimes even miss that craziness of life and the spontaneity.


As much as I miss it, now is not the time for college! I committed to Haiti and now is the time for me to leave and go serve alongside God. College will just have to wait :)


¹ There is a time for everything, 
   and a season for every activity under the heavens:


 ² a time to be born and a time to die,

   a time to plant and a time to uproot,
 ³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
   a time to tear down and a time to build,
 ⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
   a time to mourn and a time to dance,
 ⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
   a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
 ⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
   a time to keep and a time to throw away,
 ⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
   a time to be silent and a time to speak,
 ⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
   a time for war and a time for peace.

 ⁹ What do workers gain from their toil? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ~Ecclesiastes 3: 1-11

Overwhelmed

I thought it was hard coming up with an art program for 45 kids...try figuring out how many supplies you need for all the projects! I'm bringing basically everything with me- 


What size paper do I use for each project, what type of paper? I need to account for extra paper in case they mess up and for each paper that I plan to use in my examples/teaching. The paper comes in all different sizes so it's going to have to be cut down...but they don't have a paper cutter...  


How many groups do I divide the kids into for projects? What if there are more kids than I'm planning for? Can four kids use one watercolor tray or will it be best to get one tray per two kids? 


Then do I buy the watercolor trays with 12 colors or 24 colors? Not to mention there are about 20 different options for watercolor trays...each from a different manufacturer. And brushes, there are at least 12 different shapes brushes come in, long handled or short handled, natural or synthetic, soft or firm bristles...I could go on!


Also, this all involves math; math is not one of my strengths.


In the midst of my frustrations all I can do is SMILE! (I also keep reminding myself that this is much better than doing homework.) I am going to Haiti...to teach art classes...what an amazing opportunity!! I love ART and I get to share my love with these children. I feel as though I'm living a dream- but this is for real :) 


"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

YOU Put the Light in Me!

I had a very productive week, and a GREAT weekend:


Thursday night I got all of my fundraising packets completed. CRWM provided me with letters and envelopes, and then I wrote my own letters to go along with that. I distributed 63 letters to friends and family. My church had an offering for me on Sunday morning too. 


As of right now, I have $3,000 raised!! God is soo good! I am a only a bit surprised that this much money came within a matter of a few days. God promises to provide for our EVERY need. Phil 4:19, "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." $6,000 looked like an insurmountable amount of money at first, but along the way I learned to trust God for the seemingly impossible.

^{Matthew 21: 18-22 18} Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.
 ²⁰ When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
 ²¹ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”


Jesus said WE can move mountains. You won't ever see the mountains move if you don't have faith the mountains can move. Believe that God will work everything out for his glory! He can do the impossible in our lives!


Friday morning I got a hair cut. This was a big deal because I got a lot cut off and a lot thinned out. Thankfully, I really like how it turned out :) Friday night I hung out with Alicia...we watched a chick flick (which ended up being a huge disappointment) and ate ice cream. 


Saturday I made a lot of progress on my art classes. I finished picking out projects for the Tuesday/Thursday classes! Now I have to figure out just how many supplies I will need, compare costs, and then purchase everything. And box it up to be mailed to Haiti. I will also be teaching another art class on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. I don't know all the details yet...might not find out until I get there. So, I'm going to plan for that class as best as I can and figure out what supplies to bring for that one too.


Saturday night I hung out with my friends; we went out for a nice dinner and then walked around and took some pictures. It was so great to see everyone again and catch up on each others lives!

It was a perfect night- we had a great time! And I had a lot of energy...this was my third cup of coffee of the day :)

I have a lot to do once again this week. I'm going to try and figure out the exact day I will be leaving- hopefully this will be within the next 2.5 -3 weeks.

Whatever I need to be, I'll be for you!

I am working on getting together an art program for the children in Haiti. I will be teaching art classes to 44 kids who live in an orphanage. I will be working with these kids twice a week, starting in January. This means that I need enough art projects for 40 days! I like to think of it as the 40 days of purpose :) The kids will be divided into two groups so I am preparing separate projects for the younger kids and the older ones. Thankfully my mom saved a lot of my art projects so I am looking back at those for ideas. Here are a few interesting pieces that I found:

Tree! Ha.

Firetruck- actually, not half bad!

Sledding- check out those legs! What was I thinking?!

I was quite the artist! 


I also have to purchase all the art supplies before I leave, then ship them down to Haiti. Again, a lot of work...but I'm enjoying the lesson planning so far. Let's hope the teaching goes just as well!


While I was digging through my old school work I found a project I did on Haiti from 5th grade; guess I had it on my mind way back then too! 

2 Corinthians 9:8- "And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

God Knows What He is Doing- Period.

Communication has been a challenge as I have been planning my trip to Haiti. I can't exactly call the people that I need to talk to; I am relying on emails. When I send out an email I usually get a response 3-7 days later! However, when I receive an email I usually take a few days to respond too. I am not used to slow communication. I'm so used to calling, texting and facebooking people. There are still many unanswered questions relating to my trip- I want so badly to have answers.


Day by day God is revealing more of his plan to me. Although it is frustrating at times, I realized I would not want it any other way. Everything I have done so far and everything I have yet to do would have been overwhelming had I received instruction all at once. At the beginning of this journey all I knew was that I was going to Haiti. Along the way I partnered with CRWM, learned that I will be teaching art classes, and found out I would have to raise a considerable amount of money for this trip, among other things. And there is so much more that I don't know yet... In time, hopefully before I leave, I will know a few more of the details of His plan!


I listened to a podcast the other night about following God's leading. There were some very great points that I'll share with you as best as I can. Basically the message was, when we live in the move of God we have to be willing to say YES to the next step. This requires us to take the first step and then wait. So often we do not give ourselves fully to God, never jump in. We must commit to, and begin the journey, in order to see God move. Then, when God says step, we have to be willing to step. Often we want more clarity...a map...but God doesn't give us a plan. He gives us a STEP. As our faith grows for that step, God will reveal to us the next one.


God gives clarity in the midst of obedience. The first steps are terrifying (trust me, I've been there :). But that first YES leads to open doors in the future, if we are willing to keep saying yes and take RISKS. 


"If I am really seeking God, he keeps leading me to what I know I cannot do without Him."


Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take."

The Cost

In the past few days it has really hit me hard that I am leaving. These next four weeks are going to fly by. Then life as I know it will be drastically different! And I'm not just going to be gone a short time, but 7 months!! Seven months in Haiti. Wow.


No family get togethers, no car to drive...my close friends will no longer be a short drive away and my family will no longer be in the next room; I will miss my home, church, co-workers, cell phone, chocolate, the clouds, my favorite foods, etc. I could go on and on!


However, this is the cost. 


I was reading this article a few months ago entitled, This is the Cost, on Pioneers Media. It is the conversation between two women who have moved overseas, with their families, to do mission work-


"The cost-benefit ratio of following God's lead and moving overseas is complex and varied. Are there benefits? Absolutely! We can count abundant benefits to our family, our marriage, our kids and our spiritual lives. There are many, many benefits to living a life of service overseas.


But, are there costs? Of course. Yes, absolutely. There are painful, daily, humiliating and difficult costs on our lives. 


I think, that said, there is a cost to any God-following obedience. ...taking up our cross, He calls it in Scripture. There is always a cost to following Christ.


The cross...although it brings innumerable benefits...is painful and heavy.


The costs of moving out of your home culture to serve alongside the Good Shepherd, though, are unique. And, these costs are heavy.


...missing your sister's wedding.


...having your young child ask you again, "Now who is that person?...What is his name?" And, he is referring to your brother, his uncle.


...missing that graduation, that 40th birthday party and the Thanksgiving dinner.


...being forgotten. Or instead, being so deeply missed that you are the source of someone's pain. Which is better?


...not having that youth group, that Grandma's mentoring, or that Christian friend for a young budding daughter. 


...missing it...not being there...not having. 


"This is the cost," she says to me. And, I hear her heart. And, I can only agree. I nod. And, I smile with small tears brimming. "Yes, this is the cost."


Is it worth it? ...What a crazy, silly question, we both know. Even with brimming tears we know- of course it is worth it! We hardly have to ask each other the question. We know what He has asked of us. And we know His will is for His glory and our best. We know the benifits. We know our Good Father and His blessings. So, of course it is worth it!


Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." John 6:68


The benefits most definitely outweigh the cost. Always. Where else are we to go!?


But, there is a cost. And, there is a cross.


And, we must carry it. and, yes, this is the cost."


We know what He has asked of us. And we know His will is for His glory and our best!