Feel it the most.
My summer has been crazy so far. I've been home for a total of 6 days now in the past 3 1/2 weeks. As soon as school ended I hit the beach with a friend and got home for a day and went off to Haiti.
This was my third trip to Haiti and each year God teaches me something new. This year it wasnt a full blown out life lesson, but a small one. As we worked for 4 hours, 2 days in a row, mixing cement, filling up buckets with the hand made cement, passing the buckets down a human assembly line, and then tossing the empty buckets back to the beginning to be refilled all while getting cement all over us as we through the buckets to each other. All that work was going in to the start of a church floor. All the sweat, blood, laughs, and love we put into making that floor will one day be danced, sung, and preached upon one day. All going towards expanding the Kingdom. I didn't cry at all until we took off from Port-au-prince and started to head back to Miami...then it hit me who I was leaving behind and I quietly sobbed against the window on the plane. I didn't want to leave...I never want to leave when I go there. In haiti, you are loved by and hung on all week by precious little ones who don't get that kind of love or attention at all. It's funny how it seems reciprocated when I go. They feel the most loved when we come....but I feel the most loved when I go there. US friends are great but they don't usually understand what it means to love unconditionally. Though sometimes its hot and annoying when the language barrier gets in the way and the kids won't let go....it's still a genuine and unconditional love..the second part is a lot like how the Lord loves us. Even when we're annoying and fail, He still loves us unconditionally.
When I got back, I had 2 days to get laundried and repacked and that Monday I left for centriKid to chaperone our 3rd-5th graders at our church and to shadow a staffer ....or a few staffers. I am so glad I didn't get the job this summer, because I wouldn't have wanted to miss that week for anything. The staff this year was absolutely incredible. As soon as they introduced the TA's, everyone was very welcoming and involving. Which is a lot different than last year. But, I met some incredible people this year and once I'm 18, I can add them as friends on social media haha (new rule). Victoria was our church group staffer and also Danielle's intern, so we took her in like she was our own. Very cool person. I was a TA in the volleyball track time and my staffers were Courtney and Savannah. Very cool people. And lastly, Meg. who is a little bit of a tomboy with a solid heart for the Lord. It was a great week.
Got home and left a day later to go on college visits in Alabama. Checked out BSC and Samford. Great schools but we'll see where God leads me. Also got to hang out with a friend who moved there a little over a year ago and made up for lost time which was very special to me. Also met a friend that I've only talked mainly over text and got to hang out with her who is apparently my B'ham twin. We are pretty similar and had fun.
Now I'm finally back home and have a chance to relax a little bit. Sometimes this world can be tough, but throughout the past couple weeks, I've learned to really dive into scripture and understand and meditate on the meat of it.
For His glory
This was my third trip to Haiti and each year God teaches me something new. This year it wasnt a full blown out life lesson, but a small one. As we worked for 4 hours, 2 days in a row, mixing cement, filling up buckets with the hand made cement, passing the buckets down a human assembly line, and then tossing the empty buckets back to the beginning to be refilled all while getting cement all over us as we through the buckets to each other. All that work was going in to the start of a church floor. All the sweat, blood, laughs, and love we put into making that floor will one day be danced, sung, and preached upon one day. All going towards expanding the Kingdom. I didn't cry at all until we took off from Port-au-prince and started to head back to Miami...then it hit me who I was leaving behind and I quietly sobbed against the window on the plane. I didn't want to leave...I never want to leave when I go there. In haiti, you are loved by and hung on all week by precious little ones who don't get that kind of love or attention at all. It's funny how it seems reciprocated when I go. They feel the most loved when we come....but I feel the most loved when I go there. US friends are great but they don't usually understand what it means to love unconditionally. Though sometimes its hot and annoying when the language barrier gets in the way and the kids won't let go....it's still a genuine and unconditional love..the second part is a lot like how the Lord loves us. Even when we're annoying and fail, He still loves us unconditionally.
When I got back, I had 2 days to get laundried and repacked and that Monday I left for centriKid to chaperone our 3rd-5th graders at our church and to shadow a staffer ....or a few staffers. I am so glad I didn't get the job this summer, because I wouldn't have wanted to miss that week for anything. The staff this year was absolutely incredible. As soon as they introduced the TA's, everyone was very welcoming and involving. Which is a lot different than last year. But, I met some incredible people this year and once I'm 18, I can add them as friends on social media haha (new rule). Victoria was our church group staffer and also Danielle's intern, so we took her in like she was our own. Very cool person. I was a TA in the volleyball track time and my staffers were Courtney and Savannah. Very cool people. And lastly, Meg. who is a little bit of a tomboy with a solid heart for the Lord. It was a great week.
Got home and left a day later to go on college visits in Alabama. Checked out BSC and Samford. Great schools but we'll see where God leads me. Also got to hang out with a friend who moved there a little over a year ago and made up for lost time which was very special to me. Also met a friend that I've only talked mainly over text and got to hang out with her who is apparently my B'ham twin. We are pretty similar and had fun.
Now I'm finally back home and have a chance to relax a little bit. Sometimes this world can be tough, but throughout the past couple weeks, I've learned to really dive into scripture and understand and meditate on the meat of it.
For His glory
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