Where It Began.

I'm sitting here in a room at the Palm Garden Hotel in California and under me is a plush bed, in front of me I see a large flat screen TV, and I'm typing this very blog post from my laptop. To the average American, this scene is not abnormal or spectacular. But tomorrow night I will find myself sleeping in much different conditions (Well, actually, I will be having a layover in Florida tomorrow night, but you know what I mean). For the next nine days, I will experience the kind of poverty and suffering that I have never been exposed to here in the States. I will not have this comfortable bed or television, and my laptop will serve little to no purpose where I'm going.

Around January of this year, I started feeling an odd calling. God began stirring my heart for the nation of Haiti. Initially, I thought that my adventurous spirit was starting to get the best of me, but after mulling over the idea of travelling to the most impoverished country in the western hemisphere (alone), I realized that it was actually quite daunting. But I prayed regardless, asking for God's will to be done in my life and asking for clarity on His plans for me in a nation that I knew virtually nothing about.

God began pressing the issue further and further until I finally posted a status on Facebook asking if any churches knew of a missions opportunity in Haiti. I had a few responses, but I didn't feel peace about any of the options presented before me. A few weeks later, a lovely lady that goes to my grandparent's church informed me of missions opportunities at Joni and Friends. I had actually never heard of the organization before (I later learned that my mom is actually a huge fan of Joni Eareckson Tada), but decided to look into the opportunities. And then I found it. An internship: "Cause 4 Life: Ministry and Missions Bootcamp". I read through the description to discover that it included class time, a week serving at a Family Retreat, and nine days in Haiti.

At that moment, I was overcome with different emotions. I felt a peace from God that this was what He wanted me to do, but the fact that He wanted this so badly for me suddenly made me feel very selfish and afraid to travel alone again (for those of you who don't know, my experience travelling alone in Spain was not exactly pleasant). I stared at the computer screen for several minutes, and God kept saying "Just apply. Just apply. If you don't do it now, you never will." I took a deep breath, and plunged in.

I partly hoped that I wouldn't get accepted, but deep in my heart I felt as if I already had been because God made it apparent that this was all part of the plan. I was not surprised on the first of April when I received my acceptance email. Along with the email, however, I received a timeline of when all my funds would be due. My travel deposit was due in January, my paperwork was due in March, and on April 24, my total funds were due. This meant that I would need to raise $200 pronto, and the remainder ($2800 including airfare) in 24 days. I immediately began to panic and stress, and I doubted that God would supply the money. He did anyway. (By the way, for those of you who have supported me financially, I thank God that you were so obedient and selfless and that you helped me get here. I am so very grateful!)

I am humbled that God would use someone so faithless and fearful to be His servant. When I think of how ill-equipped I am, I am reminded of the many examples in Scripture where God chooses those you would least expect Him to choose. He used the tiny guy, David, to kill a giant. He used fearful Moses to deliver the Israelites from Egypt. He used Paul, who formerly persecuted Christians, to write letters from behind bars that would later become the majority of the books in the New Testament. I am so thankful that God doesn't require us to be holy in order to bring ourselves before Him, and that He uses us when we are so undeserving by all standards.

I ask that you would pray for me and the other interns as we leave for Haiti tomorrow. As you may or may not know, Haiti is a very dark nation that was devoted to the enemy upon foundation, and the practice of voodoo is very common. We will be serving the disabled in both a church and an orphanage, and in this country, to be disabled means that you must have been "cursed", which results in extreme neglect and oftentimes leads to death. Please pray that God would humble us, and use us as He sees fit and that we would be flexible to His plan.We may never see the results of what we do in Haiti over the next nine days, but I know that God is going to do mighty, powerful things.

Luke 14:21 "... 'Go out quickly, into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'"

Matthew 28:19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

Romans 10:13-15 "For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'"

1 Chronicles 16:24 "Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!"

Blessings,
Bailey