Let the adventure begin.
Alright, alright, I couldn’t help myself. J You’ll have to forgive me if I begin to throw out cheesy lines like that one bumper sticker you just can’t quite peel off. It’s just too fun. Allow me to introduce myself:
My name is Sarah Rice, and I have the honor of being the Haiti author (one of them, anyway, for I’m sure this page will soon be graced with other team member’s thoughts as well). I go to Water’s Edge at 12 Stone, and love every minute of it. I can’t wait to go on this trip with my awesome team and see what amazing things God is going to do in our lives and the lives of the Haitian people we will reach out to. For the sake of keeping this blog focused on the Haiti team as a whole, if you want to know more about me you’re welcome to click my bio and do so.
On August 9th the teams had their first official meeting! It was very encouraging, because all the teams seemed to mesh very well and God was tangible in the room that night. The four tables for each team were decorated with the countries flag, a few objects that represent that country, and individualized nametags with fun facts about the country on the back. Did you know that Haiti’s currency is the Gourd apparently? I’m not gonna lie folks, the Haiti team had the most chemistry… not that I’m biased or anything. As a matter of fact, we had SO much chemistry that once all the teams were deployed on an ‘ultimate icebreaker’ game to find clues and beat the other teams back to the room, we won. Of course. Now you may find a slightly different variation of the story on the Liberia team’s blog, who came in second and claims we cheated in the process of the game. I beg to differ, and I hope that you spare the Liberia team the same sympathy that the Haiti team has, as it is hard to accept defeat gracefully I’m sure.
So… who is this award winning team? Feast your eyes on these champions:
Starting from the top left we have Deidrick Overby, Sarah Rice (me), Katie Klempner, Daniel Oehrke, Emily Tuten, Holly Colgan, Eric Echols, and Corbin Klett. Bottom row left to right is Emily Fischer, Melissa Johnson, Sam Laubscher, Joshua Bohn, and finally our trip leader Yanni Illiadis. Wow we are good looking.And now with a little personality thrown in:
There you have it. The amazing blazing Haiti Team! We are all so excited to go on this trip and each one of us are above all else excited to see God move in ways like never before. I am personally so amazed at the individual gifts of each one of these people, and we can’t wait to see how God uses each other in unique ways as a tool for his Kingdom. We believe that God allowed each of us to be carefully selected for the Haiti team for a reason, and we can’t wait to find out what that is.
So, dear Haiti blog reader, will you please pray for us as we start this adventure? The journey doesn’t start when we set foot in Haiti, on the contrary, the process starts now, here, and in each one of our hearts and minds as we begin the spiritual transformation process that it will take to be tools for God’s kingdom while we share Jesus’s love in Haiti.
That would be the first thing to pray about: That we will continue to grow and mature exponentially before we set foot in the country. That we will each take the next step in our walk with Jesus, and that we will be prepared mentally, physically, and most importantly spiritually for the things we will witness in the barren and torn country of Haiti, which so desperately cries out for a savior. The brokenness of Haiti and the acute desperation of the people call for strong spiritual warriors, and please make it your prayer that we will be just that. In a place where there is little clean water and lots of depravity this verse stood out to me the most:
“He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.” Rev 21:6
Please pray that we have the ability to not only nourish their bodies, but feed their souls as well. And thank you for your prayers. I can’t wait to continue to update you on the status of the Haiti Team, and I’m glad you’ll be reading along for our adventure.
So Ladies and Gentleman, please keep your head back and your seat in the upright position. Keep all hands and belongings firmly secured beneath the seat in front of you, and please remain seated while our God is in motion.
