Love is serving

And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You.Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” Mark 14:36

In just a few weeks I will be on my way back to Haiti. I leave Tulsa on May 18th & after three flights I will arrive on Thursday morning the 19th. What I love the most about mission’s is that you don’t have to have it all figured out on the first day. As I am in Haiti, God will be directing things both in my personal life and in the course of the team as we minister. I go to love on the children and families in a country where pain and suffering is common, where love is absent. As I prepare this last few weeks before I go, I’ve struggled with the thought of not being good enough, not knowing enough, not having enough, and have even considered canceling my trip, what I’m saying is that I don’t have it all figured out, but I know that God is faithful. I know that somehow He will come through for me. He is the strength that allows me to live and share the love I have with the world. Sometimes love is preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ crucified and raised to life, sometimes it is playing soccer with kids and letting them know that they are worth 10 minutes of your busy day, at times love is fresh clean water, love is a house to shelter from the wind and rain and heat, love is giving to someone who can never repay you. Love is God.

Foundation — Tying rebar for a house foundation.

In Haiti we do a lot of work. If you know how to do something then you lead and teach others how to do it. If you’re not good at something then you learn from someone who does. and then you put your hands to work. The heart of mission’s is serving people. The houses we build though in our eyes they are small and simple would take a Haitian man 12 years giving his whole salary to pay for. and that isn’t including the land which can cost thousands of dollars. We truly bring hope to the families as we build a home for them. and as you can see we don’t just build it for them but as we are building we show them as much as we can so that they can be a part of building their home. We don’t just want to build a house but to impart the love of Christ that has brought us to Haiti.

The only way that I am able to give my life to mission’s is through my relationship with God. I grew up in the church with serving and loving God as the center of everything I saw. My pastor would walk down the hall and pick up candy wrappers, my leaders would invest into my life, my parents would give me the opportunity to travel and minister at a young age. Every thing I can remember has been about serving, when I went to my grandparents house for the summer I would paint sheds and car ports, I would help put roofing and siding on the buildings, at home I would help hang sheet rock and install insulation, everything I have done has prepared me for the things I am a part of today.

My heart is to worship God, not just on Sundays, but every day that I live with everything I do. I know that I am nothing without His help.

Most of what I do is with my hands, not very much of my life is spent talking and speaking, so for some people it’s weird to see me write, I have a friend who laughs at how much I write, but its who I am, my hope and prayer in life is that my actions and what I give my life to will speak louder than anyone who talks a lot. At the heart of me I love to serve people.

Electric — Learn all you can, serve all you can.

Each day I try to learn and grow more as a person. I never want to be in a place where I have no idea what to do. when I got to Haiti last summer I looked at the base where we would live, I asked, so who knows how to do the electric? at the time there were no buildings, no running water, no generator, only a few cement slabs and two tents, over the course of two months I spent time digging through rocks, laying sewage pipe, laying fresh water pipe, connecting sinks, toilets, showers, and faucets, then it went to power, I ran electric outlets and lights in six buildings, now I never went to school for those things but as I grew up I had life experiences that I struggled with that caused me to learn. I would ask God why my family was so poor and why we had to fix everything ourselves, I would be frustrated that stuff was always broken, and now I’m beginning to see, It was all for preparation. It was all so I would be ready. It was all so I could give to those who could never repay me. It is all for God…

I’m still believing for $400 to be able to go, on the trip this summer. If you are able to give in any way I would be honored to have you be a part of serving the children and families of Haiti.