Leavin' on a jet plane...

Bet you didn't expect me to use that song lyric to title one of my posts. So witty and original, and definitely not cheesy. (Go ahead, roll your eyes...)
In my defense, it's particularly relevant today because (drum roll, please...) my plane tickets are purchased! In a matter of weeks, I will be catching a plane to the island!
I'll fly with two of my Haiti teammates- what an incredible blessing. Knowing my natural tendency toward worry and stress, not to mention how paralyzing that can be when I'm alone in a new situation, I am so reassured to know that I'll take each leg of that journey with some friendly faces. God takes care of His children!

I tend to find inspiration for blog posts when I should be doing other important things...like sleeping, for instance. Thus, I will keep things brief. But I thought it might be fun to share some pertinent "count-downs" as I wrap up this chapter of my life. So here it is, Haiti prep by the numbers:

Number of days left at my job: 5
Number of days until I depart for training in CO: 19 (this number is still freaking me out a little...so much to do!)
Number of days until I leave the country: 37
Number of items still on my to-do list: 23 (Accomplish a few, add a few to the list, accomplish, add...ad nauseam)
Number of daily calories consumed because I keep thinking about foods that I love that I might not have in Haiti: Ha. Like I'd tell you.

Many of you have told me that you're praying for me. Believe me when I say that words cannot begin to express my gratitude. Thank you for praying, and please continue! Pray that:

• I would be diligent in accomplishing the important tasks
• I would say goodbye well as I face that challenge in the next few weeks
• I would, on an ongoing basis, be putting my trust in Christ

Thank you all! God is good, and He's sending me to Haiti really, REALLY soon! I'm so blessed.

Well, it's about time.

Hello, friends!
Many of you have indicated (kindly, of course) that it's high time I started a blog or an email list or a newsletter or something. Yes, I suppose you're right. I want to chronicle the next 15+ months as I jump into Haitian life, and I'm honored and humbled that you want to join me on that journey.

For those of you who stumbled across this blog or don't know what's happening in my life these days, here's the CliffsNotes version:

• I'm getting ready to move to Haiti for at least 15 months.
• I'll be working with a Christian orphan care organization called Kids Alive International.
• I will be teaching and tutoring and loving children for the sake of Christ.

Sweet. And pretty scary.
If I had to pick a banner for these weeks and months leading up to the big move, it would proclaim one simple word: Trust.
Trust that God will meet my need for meaningful relationships in Haiti.
Trust that He will give me the grace and strength to adapt to life in a completely new culture.
Trust that, if I get sick, God will still provide.
Trust that I will be able to learn Creole well enough to teach in that language.

Maybe it sounds like a cliché, but I feel it in every bone of my body.  I wake up each day and stare uncertainty in the face, and I make a conscious decision: to let the Holy Spirit indwell me, and put Him in charge of keeping my inner control freak stuffed away in the closet. I hope and pray that someday soon, she (control freak, that is) may starve to death and cease to exist, but for now muffling her screams is a good start.

I humbly ask that you would pray for me as I continue to put one foot in front of the other toward the goal of departing for Haiti. I'm leaving for training in about five weeks, and after that it's onward and upward (well, southward, technically speaking). There is much to do between now and then, and still much to learn about really, authentically, holistically trusting Jesus.

I'll leave you until next time with a few of the verses that have spoken comfort to me in recent weeks.

When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? (Psalm 56:3)
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing... (Psalm 68:5, emphasis mine)