Saturday, October 22, 2011

O, Colorado!

Well, week one of "school" in Colorado is over (just two short weeks from today, we'll arrive in the DR!). With the first week of training under my belt, I've been reflecting on my "highs" and "lows" thus far. Highs include: thankfulness for the things I'm learning, building relationships with some great new friends, the incredible beauty of Colorado, and being reminded over and over (because I so easily forget!) how good and faithful God is.
Lows include: worries about the potential hardships of life in Haiti, dwelling (trying not to!) on the things that could go wrong while I'm there, and trying to fight against my general tendency to catastrophize.
One of the topics that has been heavily addressed here at MTI is the concept of paradox: the fact that it is very possible to hold very strong opposing emotions or thoughts regarding the same event. For me, preparing to jump into missions in Haiti, this means a duality of excitement about life and ministry and relationships in Haiti as well as fears about sickness, crazy driving conditions, loneliness/anxiety.
As you might imagine, the highs come more readily when I'm focused on Christ and the goodness of God, and the lows creep in when I dwell on circumstances. Pray that I would be serious and diligent about my time in God's Word and in prayer- I'm convinced it's the only way to combat the fear and anxiety.

But now, for some fun: Here are some pictures from Garden of the Gods, which I visited yesterday with some friends. Brent and Letitia will be part of my team in Haiti, and Brian and Emily will be working with Kids Alive in the DR. Brian and Emily are service team hosts, so they will be back and forth between the DR and Haiti once in awhile. I am super-thankful for the opportunity to connect with these people now, before we even arrive in-country! I am happy to report (and I think it's safe to say) that we all like each other :). Phew!

 L to R: me, Emily (married to Brian, working in the DR), and Letitia (married to Brent, going to Haiti!)
  
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, "The Lord reigns!" - 1 Chronicles 16:31



Brian (married to Emily, DR-bound) and Brent (married to Letitia, going to Haiti)