Haiti Relief Trip

In 24 days my best friend and I will be leaving the country, and embarking on our first MISSION TRIP to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti! For me it is the first time leaving the country... Until about a week ago, I was super excited. And then I realzied, I'm leaving the country in a month! The idea that this was actually happening was still slightly surreal to me. And now it's crunch time and I continue to ask myself, am I ready for this kind of adventure? Will my heart be right where it needs to be, so that through Him I can do these great works? Will I be mentally ready to see such devastation? Will every single one of my actions be about glorifying His kingdom?

"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."

~John 14:12~

Can I truly understand that I will do even greater works than my Lord and Savior did??



Relationships
As I began to ask these questions, the panic started to set in. In my first post, I discussed the importance of relationships within the body of Christ. Relationships was another topic, that even after that post, was weighing on my heart. Which is why I am so thankful for the Lighthouse worship team, More Than A Song. For 2 weeks our lead worship pastor was on vacation, and the group was pretty bare. Honestly, I really struggled with making the praises about God and His glory. Instead, I focused more on how I sounded, and how the congregation was reacting to that sound.

So last week when the whole team was back together again, we grew together. Before practice, we sat down; we shared our praises and our concerns. And me being the big ball bag I am, began to cry. This kind of relationship, with the people that I call brothers and sister is what I was waiting to truly experience. I had been singing with these people for a few years, and until then, I had never sat down and grown with them, and praised with them, without singing. I was experiencing a oneness with these people and the Holy Spirit. I was able to share the concerns I had for the trip, and the mission God has for me. And we prayed together... As a group we are moving and changing. God has a plan for this group, and I am so excited to be a part of it.

That being said, once we had spent this time praying together, I felt at ease. Knowing that my God will watch over me, and guide my every action is the confirmation I needed to know that even if I am not ready to leave today, that I will be ready to do and be a part of what He has in store for me.

"He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."

~Mark 16:15~

Does this make God smile?

When I begin to struggle with whether my actions are pleasing to God, I ask myself, "Would that make God smile? God does this please you?" When I begin to shift my focus from what the world sees me doing to what my God sees me doing, it automatically becomes more about Him. So when singing becomes more about the sound than the praises, I ask. And when a mission trip becomes more about me being thrown out of my comfort zone, I ask. "God, how I can I please you?"

Some people state that there is plenty of hardship here in the U.S., and why don't we stay here and help those people rather than travel to a foreign country where things are so sketchy. Things are sketchy here too! I'm not saying there isn't devastation here, because there definitely is. But when God calls us to go out into the world, He isn't talking about home, where we are comfortable. For me, I felt pushed to go outside my realm of comfort. Originally we were booked to go to Lima, Peru, but not enough people signed up to attend, so we had to be flexible and choose a new mission. That's all part of being God's child. You can make plans, and make plans, but ultimately our plans are not His. Flexibility is the key to serving a God whose plans never change.

Prayers
To those of you who do read this, all I ask that you pray. Pray for safe travels, and for Gods presence to be known. Pray for protection and guidance, and I will pray that through your prayers for my friend and I, you grow closer and reach out further to the arms of God that await you.

I'm just A Work in Progress...

Loving His Presence,

Symone





P.S. - We have been encouraged to bring a daily journal to Haiti. Therefore, you can expect to hear much about my trip when I return!