Oh, North Carolina.

I pre apologize for the potential length of this blog....

Ok. So. Where to begin?! I have less than 48hrs left here in North Carolina and up until now, everything has been very surreal. I have worked the past four nights, so the mental processing of leaving NC so soon hadn't really kicked in, but then everything starting coming together and the good-bye's starting happening... North Carolina has been a special part of my life.

To give you a little background....  I've kind of always been a goal oriented, self sufficient, work hard & play if time permits type of girl. Life in Pennsylvania after about 10th grade was very much about going to school and working my butt off to make money (and then spend it). I took care of others more than I took care of myself and may have found myself  in situations that were not the best or safest. Relationships came and went and hearts were cracked but somehow God managed to get me out of this so called "transition" time fairly unscathed with family and a few close friends by my side.

Then in March 2010 I decided it was time for a change; so in May of that year I packed up my things and headed South to North Carolina. I knew God had plans for me, I just wasn't really sure on what those plans would be. So I start my life in Durham, NC working at Duke as a RN and getting into this "new" life. For the first time since high school I was only working one job while finishing my Bachelor's degree. Seriously, I didn't even know what to do with myself. Having just one job kind of seemed silly but I did manage to pick up a great baby-sitting gig for a then intern, his wife & their two precious twin girls... Seriously that family brings such a smile to my heart! ((Mesi, m'ap sonje ou!)) Although work is work, I was really impressed with the team work on my unit and to see people who truly cared. God also blessed me with a best friend  & forever friend at work who kept me grounded and sane while in the "trenches" that is oncology-nursing. Many mornings were spent eating breakfast together after night shift or just a quick coffee & chat when ever scheduling permitted! ((Mesi, m'ap sonje ou!))

Also while in NC, I started attending newhope Church. It is there that I joined a small group/bible study (which I have mentioned before) with some of the most amazing girls. We have cried, laughed, prayed, screamed, struggled, encouraged, and rejoiced (etc) with each other... Oh, and don't forget the swimming, biking, & running!!! Yeah, Triathletes! Seriously though, many of our lives have changed drastically since then but they all have become better just by being together (at least mine has). ((Mesi, m'ap sonje ou!))

Newhope is also the place that introduced me to The 410 Bridge and sent me packing with amazing newhope missionaries to Kenya & Haiti.

Yes, this is where I found Haiti. My new home. My passion. My purpose. 


Tomorrow (Wednesday) is the day I say my official good-bye's to my closest friends here in North Carolina.  That last breakfast after night shift, the last small group. Bittersweet... yet, I know there will be a lot of "see you later's" to be said because they are forever friends. I can't thank God enough for bringing us together for this season of our lives.

North Carolina, Duke, Newhope and the people who have been there throughout-You have forever changed my life. ((Mesi, m'ap sonje ou!)) Can not wait to skype, email, kik, & update y'all (had to sneak in the y'all) from Haiti and God's Littlest Angels!!!!

Mesi, m'ap sonje ou! ((Thank you, I will miss you))

...to be continued...

-B

Slingshots and Giants

So today is a big day... My big brother, Kevin is being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marines! Super excited for him but sad I am missing the ceremony and picnic to follow! So excited for him!

Anyways, after my last slightly sad and challenging blog, I was reading the story of David & Goliath and was looking though some of my sermon notes from the unlikely heroes series at newhope... (if you didn't catch them... make sure you do at newhopenc.org)! So yeah Pastor Scott spoke about David and being an unlikely hero. He was just a Shepard. Pastor Scott said few things that have brought me encouragement and have made me think during my journey to Haiti (whether it be in a couple months or in a couple years).

He said "The only two credentials God is looking for is Humble & Willing". I had to think about that, I am definitely willing but am I humble about my decision. I feel so strongly about my choice to move to Haiti that sometimes I don't think I am humble. Does that make sense? It may make sense to those I have spoken to about my decision. Needless to say... I really need to work on my humility and being humble not only in my decision, but in my life.

Pastor Scott also said that God is trains world changing heroes through their daily routines and asked how much we complain about routines... but David did the same thing day in and day out but his job was to protect those sheep from predators such as lions (Did you know David killed a lion before defeating Goliath? You should check out his story in 1 Samuel... it's a good one!). You know what weapon he had? Just a slingshot! So God gave David some amazing aim and trained him well on that slingshot... I bet David never thought his slingshot skills would lead him to be king over Israel... but guess what it did! My point is, at times our lives may seem mundane and somewhat pointless but one act can change your life forever. The routine that you have been in for the last however many days, weeks, years may just be God training you to be a world changing hero or how about we just start with one.... That routine could make you a hero to one person or even better, bring them to Jesus!

So, here's the blog questions of the day. Are you an unlikely hero? Maybe you are and just don't know it! What will be your slingshot? Who/what is your Goliath?

There is one thing I keep trying to remind myself during this application process... God can make opportunities arise at any second! Haiti is on my heart and on my mind. Don't worry, I'll keep you posted of any news or decisions! Please keep on praying! 

...to be continued...

-B

Preparation

 Starting the blog with a fun time in Haiti!
 Melinda & I teaching the children the Macarena!

Since returning from Haiti, I've pretty much had a one track mind... Haiti. So the process is starting, after spending the last month or so researching organizations, I'm starting to get my name out. This upcoming week I will have my first phone contact with an organization and they will also speak with members of my church. This I suppose is where the organization "feels me out" and then, if they feel as though I fit, I will start the formal application process of becoming a long-term missionary! This process takes approximately 9 months for this particular organization. In the mean time I am continuing to research other organizations and if whether they may ne right for me. It's definitely a process. I equate it to researching job opportunities and applying. Many, many options but only God knows which option will be it. I'm excited for the possibilities and also nervous. There are many questions running through my head regarding organizations and how they go about serving. If you haven't already and have an interest in missions, whether they be local or international, short-term or long-term, I recommend reading When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert. This book is required reading before going on a missions trip with newhope. I am actually rereading it right now to see if my perspectives have changed from travel to Kenya & Haiti with newhope. Again, if you are thinking about missions, this is definitely worth your time. Even if you're not into missions, this could change your perspective to helping those around you throughout your life. 

So, in my last post I discussed being still and taking it all in... Still attempting to do this. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such a great support team in North Carolina and have such a supportive family when it comes to pursuing life in Haiti. Many people asked what my parents reaction was to the news of me wanting to do missions in Haiti... It's kind of like when I was 18 years old and I got a tattoo... After waiting awhile to tell my dad, he just said "you've been talking about getting a tattoo, I figured you'd get one eventually". That was definitely not the reaction I was expecting but I was pleasantly surprised. Although, I think my mom & dad may be internally freaking out, they are supporting me 100%. 

After coming back from Haiti I was hoping to get there by the end of the year and I know, with God, 2012 is totally possible, but I'm ok if it takes a little longer to get there. God is continually preparing me for the journey and I am so thankful to see some of God's preparation coming full circle (I've mentioned these things in previous posts). Also, I know I keep coming back to this is pretty much every post but God's timing trumps my timing. I just continue to trust the God's plan is in the works and everything will happen when he wants it to... being patient is the hardest part. I know I just said this above but the one thing that makes it easier is knowing that God is using this time to prepare me.

...to be continued...

-B

He will make it happen.

Ok... Back again. So, I left off talking about God's timing and putting me exactly where I needed to be and with whom I needed to be with.

After about 8 months of being in NC and "church shopping"; March 2011 I stepped into a church that would change my life here in NC and I now I am starting to see that it would change my life from here on out. This church is called newhope church (newhope's website). The first time I attended a service, there was an announcement in the bulletin about a missions trip to Kenya. After attempting to speak with the right people to find out what it was all about I found Dave Brown who leads the missions at newhope and I'm pretty sure I placed my deposit the following week. Step one to changing my life. Step two would be joining a small group aka bible study aka life group. I met the most amazing girls who would become some of my best friends. Those girls have listened and help me grow so much it is unbelievable... (I'll talk more about these girls in the future).

Now, let me just tell you... I wasn't really sure how I was going to go on this trip. I had enough to make the deposit at the time but the rest was unclear... Please make note. If God wants you to go on a mission trip or do a certain thing, He will make it happen. I promise (and so does He). It might take down to the last second but if it's God's will, it will happen. That simple point has been increasingly clear in my life. Just about the entire ~$4,000 it took to get there was covered by those who believed in me, newhope, The 410 Bridge and what the members of the Kenya 2011 team were doing. Remember, all things are possible through Christ.

So of course God provided and in July 2011, I ventured off with about 15 other newhoper's to Kiria, Kenya. It was an amazing trip. Here's a highlight.

Kenya Highlight Video

 Amazing, Right?!?!

In my previous post I mentioned I had always thought I would end up somewhere is Africa and I anticipated this trip as God telling me that Kenya was it. That would be where I would eventually move.... but... it wasn't. Now, please don't get me wrong. I had an amazing time, with amazing people, in an amazing country. Sadly though, my feeling upon arriving back in NC was a bit of disappointment. It was rough, all of the time before the trip I had anticipated this ah ha moment... but it didn't come. I had semi-prepared myself for this but not fully. After being on many other mission trips before I knew that not every trip was life changing... I even told others on the trip that it may not be life changing but it will have an impact... I just wasn't listening to what I was saying.... and besides, God knew what He was doing, I just hadn't caught on to that. With that being said... onto life after Kenya & before Haiti.

...to be continued...

-B

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