I am so excited about the upcoming trip for next year! I know some of you will read this and say Oh my word it is still several months from now. But when you are planning something like this and try to raise funds to get enough to go, the time seems to fly by. I cannot believe it is already fall. This is my favorite time of year. The last several months has brought stressful but exciting times for my family. We made a big decision and did what was best for our family, and we made a huge move. My husband accepted a new job in Oklahoma and we moved seven hours away from the only thing I have ever known as home, and that is where all my family is. Let me say it has been great but still very hard. One of the hard things for me is being away from the team. With the kids in school it has not been possible for me to make it back "home" to be with the team and help out with fundraisers. I have thought every single day about fundraisers and making contacts and what can I do and so on and so on. I will say it is very hard to do when you don't have the support of the team.
When I first decided that I would try to go on the first trip with my Aunt, I really didn't have a lot of time for fundraising. It was just her and myself going and I kept thinking there is no way I will get the funds together to go. I just didn't have much time. Well with the help of most of my family, I did raise enough money to go. The reason is because God will provide! I learned so much on the first trip. I met some really great people. So many things that you don't even think about because its not right in front of you or right under your nose. Many visions of things that you just can't get out of your head. Really that is a good thing believe it or not. Before I ever left Haiti I was already looking forward to the next year's trip. So many things that I wanted to do to help more. I wanted to be better prepared. Making plans for the next trip started as soon as we got home. Not a day would pass that I didn't think about Haiti and the people there. I am thankful that I am aware of what is going on there. The lasting impression from the first trip was the Hope that the people have there. They are so thankful for every little thing they have. So many things we take for granted. No matter the devastation and poverty they have, they still have Hope. To be among them during church and feel the presence of God and see them praise and worship Him, was the greatest thing to experience! I knew that God would provide for the next trip and He did! Our team was birthed after our first trip and we even added someone that went with us on the second trip. Now here we are already October 2014 and looking ahead to my third trip in May 2015 trip!
I was sitting in church a couple of Sundays ago and the message was a great message! I really haven't thought about much else since then. The message was Compassion. He said "True compassion demands action." To really care about someone or something is to ACT. "To say you care but not act is to not care at all." The Pastor gave many references from the Bible where Jesus had compassion and was moved to action! The Pastor also said that compassion will cost us something but it will also change lives. Not only will it change the life of the person we are showing compassion to, but also it will change our lives. As I sat there listening to this message I kept thinking about Haiti. I know many of you follow us and like our events and our pictures on Facebook and I love that you do that! I want to challenge everyone reading this to ACT! You have to know that if you see a sad picture on our page of child who is very malnourished and sick and you feel that little tug at your heart, that is God nudging you. Not everyone is called to go to Haiti, or some other third world country, but I know that I am. I felt God pushing me in that direction a couple of years ago and I will keep going until He tells me not to! Our team can't do it without our supporters and we appreciate EVERYTHING you do and we covet your prayers. I urge each of you to ask yourself...Is there something I can do...an Action? Maybe not for our team but maybe for someone else...a neighbor, a co-worker, a friend, or someone you don't even know.
Thank you all for following us! Thanks be to God for making a way!
Lilias-Marie
