Your Pain Has Changed Me

I saw what I saw and I can't forget it
I heard what I heard and I can't go back
I know what I know and I can't deny it

Something on the road

Cut me to the soul

Your pain has changed me

Your dream inspires

Your face a memory

Your hope a fire

Your courage asks me what I'm afraid of
And what I know of love

We've done what we've done and we can't erase it
We are what we are and it's more than enough
We have what we have but it's no substitution

I say what I say with no hesitation
I have what I have and I'm giving it up
I do what I do with deep conviction

Your pain has changed me

Your courage asks me what I am afraid of
And what I know of God.

"I Saw What I Saw"
by Sara Groves
                         

Taking the Plunge

My family just returned from a quick weekend trip to the beach.  Fourteen total hours driving to and from our destination is a long time considering we only spent 48 hours there.  But it was great and we’d do it again without question. 

(Taken  from Google Images)

My favorite place to be was standing in the shallow waves of the gulf, toes in the wet sand.  Almost committed but with the option to jump back at any moment if the waves got too big.  Plus there were masses of green algae everywhere which gave the gulf waters a beautiful color from afar, but upon closer inspection it was slimy and gross.  The boys would return from their adventures in the waves with their pockets full of the mucous-y mess.  The gulf was in dire need of Kleenex.

Another reason to remain where I stood was because waves can be rough.  They can be strong.  They can knock you down and rush over when you least expect it.  You could get hurt or sputter up salt water that you accidentally took in… or, at the very least, get your hair wet.  But if you had your toes in the wet sand, the soft waves blanketing over your feet and ankles, and the constant breeze all around you

 – well, what could be better?

So now all sorts analogies about the Haiti mission trip are brought to mind.  For someone like me who prefers the water’s edge, it’s quite something to wrap my head around the fact that God is calling and inviting me to take the plunge into the waves and go to Haiti.  Haiti is hot, treacherous, dirty, and anything but comfortable.  But there are these people whom God is especially fond of.  He is not only especially fond of them, He adores them, loves them, sacrifices for them.  They are the people of Haiti.  He cares for them and he asks the same of me.

It’s my choice.  I can dig my toes deeper into the sand where I stand, run the opposite way to a lounge chair shaded by an over sized umbrella, or trudge my way into His open waters where there are no guarantees that I won’t be repeatedly smacked around by waves… not to mention the wet, snotty hair.

But how wonderful it is to be cooled by the waters after standing in the relentless sun.  How satisfying it is to bob up and down with the waves as they pass through.  How special it is to experience it all with those next to me. 

How can I just stand there and watch, choosing not to go in?  There are sacrifices.  Pain can result.  Still, I don’t want to miss what God has invited me to be a part of.  None of us do.  We have our fears – our “giants”, but they are no surprise to God and He is bigger than any of our fears.  Our group of ten, hand-picked by God Himself, will join along in His work to minister to these precious Haitians.  We are honored, humbled, and out of our minds with excitement that we get to do this.

Please pray for our team as the Lord teaches us to truly, truly be servants to the people of Haiti and to each other.  We want to serve like Jesus.  Please know that our team prays for you.  We pray that you will be blessed as you follow our story and that God will use this time to minister to your heart in some way. 

Much love and gratitude from the Haiti team.

“For I know the plans I have for you, ” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11

~Written by Suzie Winship

A Passion for the Things that Matter to Him

As part of our preparation for the short-term mission trip to Haiti, we had to do some research on the country.  Here are some facts and statistics I came across in my research:

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty.  Most Haitians live on $2 or less per day.

Haiti’s richest 1% owns nearly half the country’s wealth.

Only 40% of the population has access to basic health care.

The enrollment rate for primary school is 67% and fewer than 30% reach 6^th grade.

One year after the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, only 5% of the up to 22 million cubic yards of heavy debris had been removed.

Haiti will need to be completely rebuilt from the ground up, according to a journalist, as “even in good times, Haiti is an economic wreck, balancing precariously on the razor’s edge of calamity.”

So why have ten people from the prosperity and comfort of the Atlanta suburbs decided to serve in a Haitian orphanage in August?  I can only speak for myself.  For most of my life, I have been what I would describe as a non-practicing Christian.  In my younger days being a Christian was about hanging out with my church friends, playing softball, and going to church camp.  As I have grown older, I have enjoyed listening to a good sermon or reading a good Christian book.  I have a good head knowledge of the Bible, but it has not translated into a heart relationship with Christ.

I have been challenged in recent years by witnessing family and friends step out in faith to God’s calling.  My brother and his family have made trips to Nicaragua to work to improve the lives of the people there.  My Mom served at a children’s home in Brazil.  We have seen good friends from church serve in Africa and have been inspired by their passion for the world’s orphans.

When I am really honest with myself, I realize that I have been worshipping a god of comfort and security instead of the true God of the Bible.  My prayer for this trip is that God would give me a passion for the things that matter to Him instead of the selfish things that matter to me.

“The decision to grow always involves a choice between risk and comfort. This means that to be a follower of Jesus you must renounce comfort as the ultimate value of your life.
-John Ortberg

Written by: Jay Daniel