Good morning to all, and we hope that everyone is having a great start to the day.
The weather here is nice and breezy, at least for this morning. What this afternoon will bring remains to be seen. So just sitting here trying to decide what to do. So much to think about! And of course, the thought that is tops in my head is our upcoming trip to Haiti.
We leave in a little over 2 weeks. And with the excitement of the trip, comes the uncertainty of the future. We each have no idea of what tomorrow will bring, let alone next week, month, or year. The only thing sure is that you can't control the future, and have to try to live the life that God has planned for you, with the hopes of being with Him in Eternity. But whoa, that is a bit further than I wish to go right now, as there is still too much left undone here on earth. But one never knows, so you must live your life doing what is right, and trying to please our Heavenly Father. Hence, these trips.
So much is different about this trip from the last one. Last time, there were 6 people total, including 1 from International Medical Aid, and 3 from Bread To The Nations. This trip, our team alone has 5 people. There are 2 from Children's Health Ministry (formerly were a part of Bread To The Nations) and 3 from International Medical Aid. That is double the amount! And that is not the only thing that will be different.
This year we will be hosting 2 medical clinics. The first will be in the location of the previous year's clinic. The second will be in a location that has never had a medical clinic before. Located just a few miles from Carreour, this location will bring a lot of unknowns. But it will also bring a lot of chance to touch others and to help. The goal of our clinics is to provide care on an ongoing basis, just not a drop in once and run. And IMA has a lot of good ideas on how to accomplish this. We plan to work closely with them during these clinics to learn what we can and to help make them the best clinics ever.
Focusing a bit more back on our team, we want to thank everyone for what they did to help us achieve our goal for this trip. The donations from all, the support of many in the community. We have learned a lot during our first year as an organized team. We have had some wonderful successes, and some miserable failures on the fundraising scene. But we endured and we have succeeded. But will all the efforts be worth it? Guess that depends. For some, this will be their first trip to Haiti. For others, a return trip. And the fear is, will it touch them as much as it did me; and for the returning members, will it still have the same impact as before? These are very important, and vital aspects to consider. Because the long range future of our team, and our goals, will be determined.
My first trip to Haiti was life-changing for sure. But lets be honest, had I not met that young girl, I probably would not have wanted to return. The pull towards something that I am good at is what directed us to return last year. And the prior uncertainty of before last year's clinic made me wonder if the feelings I had were real, or just something that had altered as time went by, to be more than they actually were. And would my niece experience the same feelings, or would this hinder her future plans. Happily, both of us left knowing this was right, and that we would strive to return. And now I have the same thoughts about our new team members. Have I built it up so much to them that they will be disappointed? Will they have their hearts touched as I have? Or will they leave wondering why they ever came? Will the urge to return be so strong for them, that they are discussing it before leaving Haiti? And will they find their faith renewed and feel closer to our Heavenly Father because of this poor location?
Because of our profession, we have a tendency to become jaded in our thinking. Will this happen with too many trips to this country, where poverty is evident and futures seem so dim? Will it get to the point where a child's smile won't mean as much, and where hunger no longer bothers us? Where we see the skinny dogs and tiny chickens and not feel compassion for them? Where the site of the kids playing in the stream, the same stream where the pigs are walking not touch our hearts. Where a tiny child with a big belly will not bring us to tears? Just like the plans for the day, I don't have any answers for these questions. We can only move forward and listen with our hearts, and feel for the touch that points us in the direction we are suppose to be moving.
