I Left My Heart In Haiti

It is funny to read my blog posts before leaving for Haiti. I truly had no idea what this experience was going to mean to me upon returning home. I have so many thoughts, stories, and pictures to share. I will be posting a lot this week to my personal blog about the amazing adventure I had in this country.

Until then, thank you so much for your thoughts, prayers, and encouragement. I had a wonderful time and stayed completely healthy (YEA!), and the boys did a great job at home too! One of our speakers on the trip talked of the story of the Good Shepherd.....how when God brings us to something, we have to trust that he will not just leave us there but also be leading us through it. I am so thankful that I had the courage to not only listen to His voice but follow it. I felt Him leading, not only me, but all of us through this entire trip. It was truly life changing. Thank you for everyone who made it possible!!! You are dearly loved!

Stayed tuned for more detailed posts at www.abeatinheart.blogspot.com

1st Canoe Trip

Josh took the boys on their first canoe trip of the season with my family while I was in Haiti. This was Caleb's very first canoe trip. I hated that I missed it, but was so glad he had such a great time!

Haiti Bound

Tomorrow morning I set off on an adventure. I am traveling to Haiti with a group from my church to work with a school, church, and orphanage there. There is much to be nervous about, however, I am far more excited than worried. You can read in more detail about my heart towards this trip on my personal blog, www.abeatinheart.blogspot.com. Thank you so much to all of you who have been loving, supporting, and encouraging me from the very beginning! To some it is, after all, just a mission trip, just a week...but to me it is so much more. It is about being able to go and be completely selfless of my time to help and love on other people. It is about getting to know and understand God on a more intimate level by allowing me just a small piece of insight into what He sees daily. It is about shaping my own world, my own perspective, my own prayers by being able to "see," maybe for the first real time in my life, what true need and true hardship really look like. It's about stepping out of my comfort zone and taking a risk.

This trip is so many things to me, and while I know it will be so difficult in so many ways....physically, emotionally, spiritually....I am looking forward to the journey.

If you would like to follow me on my trip, you can follow these steps:

*Go to www.prayingpelicanmissions.org

*click on trip journals

*click on Haiti

*Click on our team....Fellowship Bible Church (I would assume is our name)

*You can leave a comment by using the password "prayers"

They try to have a picture of our team up on the day we arrive so that our families know we made it. I am not sure how much they will update this throughout the week.

Please pray for the safety for our team, open hearts, and the ability to take from this trip all the Lord is wanting us to gain. Please pray for my husband, children, and Mom back at home....for SAFETY (Please, Lord, no accidents that I can't get to quickly to assist), sanity, and happy hearts! Thank you again!