Expectations.

When I landed in Port-au-Prince in June, I had several expectations regarding my summer.

I expected to meet new people.

I expected the temperature to be insane.

I expected to learn and see and experience so many new things.

But, I didn't expect for my heart to break so badly for God's people.

I never could have imagined all that I was able to do in the clinic.  And what I learned about medicine and patient care is so much more than I have in all of my shadowing and volunteering.

I did not think I would leave with a renewed understanding of what is important in life.

I had no idea I would spend forty hours of my week doing something that never felt like work.

God was constantly working on my heart and mind.  He was reworking my ideas regarding everything - my life, dreams, future, relationships, family.  I prayed for Him to do a work in my life, but this was more than I ever imagined.

I didn't think it would hurt so much to board the plane to return to the States.

I didn't expect to fall in love with Haiti and its people.

And I didn't expect to lose myself and find myself at the same time.

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With this final post in my summer series, I would like to share that I will be taking a break from blogging for an indefinite amount of time.  

Thank you for reading.  

Goat.

Last night, I learned how to make bannann peze, which are twice fried plantains and super fun to make.

And this is my fearless teacher:

And this is the BEST meal that I've had in Haiti thus far.  I don't know all of the Haitian names, but we have bannann peze, mais moulin (corn meal type stuff) with a bean sauce (that is made with coconut milk) and GOAT in a Creole sauce.  

It was such a nice way to spend my last night - with good friends, fellowship, and food!

Goat:  

The above picture only exists because of the picture below.  It's one of my mom's favorite pictures of me and she wanted another picture with a goat.  I don't remember if she said a living goat or a dead goat...oh, well.

Alright friends, next time you will hear from me I'll be stateside.  

Influence.

Before I confirmed my plans to spend my summer in Haiti, I had many long and serious conversations with my parents about all of this.  It was very important to me that I had their blessing and that they understood why I was feeling led to serve in Haiti.  

Surprisingly, they weren't very shocked when I told them what I was thinking.  This wasn't the first conversation of this type that my parents had with one of their kids.  They've heard a few crazy things from us, such as "hey, I think I'm going to go to Thailand and do tsunami relief" to "hey, I think I want to join the Army".  My mom actually asked me when we were going to start being normal kids.  I couldn't answer the question.  

One of the first things my dad asked me was if my wanting to come here had anything to do with my brother Alex.  Before I could answer, he told me that it was okay and that he understood.  He knew.  

I am confident that God called me to come to Haiti this summer and I am so very thankful that He did.  But if I hadn't had Alex in my life, I don't think I would have had as much courage to ask God the big questions, to challenge myself to let Him control my life, and to trust Him through everything.  

I think Alex has always been the person in my life to challenge and encourage me to live life a little bolder and step out in faith a little bit more.  And even though he's not with me anymore, he's still that person.  It wasn't just the words that he spoke, but it was the way that he lived and the way that he made me feel.  

My brother inspires me to serve God with all that I have, to live outside of myself, and to love with abandon.  

So when I told my dad seven months ago that I thought I was going to spend my summer here, we both knew that my brother had a little bit of influence in my decisions.  And he always will.  

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"For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." -2 Timothy 1:6-7

Apparent.

On Saturday, I went shopping in Port-au-Prince.  One of the places that we stopped at was called 'The Apparent Project'.  

Their mission:

"Through our artisans' program, educational programs, and relief work we are dedicated to:  Helping parents rise out of extreme poverty in order to keep their children, responding to Haiti's orphan crisis and the needs of parentless children, and making the needs of Haiti apparent to potential helpers through media & the arts."

Orphanages are great, but sometimes they only serve to create more orphans.  In Haiti, this is especially true, where most orphans are not 'true orphans' and could be cared for by their parents or extended family.  This organization is trying to combat the increasing number of orphans by helping parents and families work to provide for their children in order to keep families together.  And by providing for their children, parents have an increased sense of dignity and self-worth and the opportunity to escape extreme material poverty.  

All of the products are made in Haiti and a lot of it is made from recycled materials.  They make a lot of beads from old cereal boxes or cartons and also make products from clay or scrap metal.  Everything in the store is absolutely beautiful and a really cool way to support Haitian employees and the effort to keep families together.

Go check them out here!

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And for something that has nothing to do with The Apparent Project, but may interest you foodies out there. I had 'crêpe salée' for lunch, which translates to 'salty crepe'.  It's a crepe with ham, cheese, onions, and 'special sauces'...trying new food here has definitely been successful.

Mara.

One of the first patients that I saw at the beginning of the summer was a young pregnant woman named Elizabeth.  I quickly learned that she had congestive heart failure and a pregnancy meant incredible bodily stress to her and her baby.  With her condition, she was strongly encouraged not to get pregnant because it would be life-threatening for her and her child.  When I first saw her, she was seven months pregnant with her third pregnancy.  The other two pregnancies, however, were not successful and she lost both children before birth.  

When Elizabeth came in two weeks later, we were all surprised to see her with her healthy newborn, Mara.  The doctors induced labor several weeks before her due date to prevent compromising the life of the mother and child.

The fact that this child is alive is truly a miracle.  She's so small and delicate, but very strong and healthy.

I love it when God reminds us how precious life is and how amazing He is.  

Lasts.

I had the opportunity to go the beach today for the last time while in Haiti this summer.

It was wonderful.

I discovered my favorite Haitian beverage..

..enjoyed an American treat with a fellow American..

..went on a little boat ride..

..drank from a coconut..

..and hung out with some great friends!

As my summer is wrapping up, I'm experiencing quite a few 'lasts' while here in Haiti.  I went to my last Haitian church service this morning and went to the beach for the last time this afternoon.  Tomorrow starts my last week in the clinic, where I will work with the doctors, nurses, and patients for the last time this summer.  I'll attend my last physicians' conference and make my final visit to a Haitian market.  I'll experience my last Haitian sunrise, sunset, and starry night sky; I'll be eating my last Haitian meal and 'speaking' my last bit of Creole.  And I'll have to say my last goodbyes.

I don't think I'm ready for any of these 'lasts'.

Krapo.

Shortly after arriving here, I learned that Haitians HATE frogs - or krapo.  It's a really passionate and fearful type of hatred.  And they are way more afraid of frogs than tarantulas or boas or other things that may commonly crawl around here.  I'm not entirely sure why, but I do know that they believe some sickness or something will occur if they touch a frog.

Well, I had a frog in my room this morning.  The little guy jumped on my leg while I was washing my hands, terrified me, and then hopped all over my room.  Now, I have an old Haitian lady cleaning my room everyday and I was fearful that she would have a heart attack if she came across the krapo.  

So, I ran and screamed and yelled at a frog for twenty minutes this morning (go ahead, picture it).  And then finally caught him in a trash can after earnestly trying to scare him out with water and loud noises and my voice.  Lastly, I had to gently encourage him to return back into the wild.  He was a stubborn little one I assure you. 

Good morning from Haiti.

Answers.

Before coming to Haiti, I had not really experienced the difficult and challenging parts of medicine.  I have been on the receiving (family) side of it a few times, but never on this side of the deal.  All of my shadowing and volunteering before this summer never put me in the position to witness/deal with extreme circumstances.  And of course, a career in medicine includes having to address difficult health and welfare issues with your patients and their families, so experiencing this is essential.

 I especially realized this on Thursday.  We saw a patient who we had seen a few times already this summer and I've kind of fallen in love with her.  She is this fantastic old lady with the biggest smile and such a pleasant demeanor.  I mentioned her in a post several weeks ago as she is the woman that had the pleural effusion.  We thought that that may be caused by tuberculosis, but, unfortunately, those results came back negative.  As silly as it sounds, TB would have been the best case because it is treatable if the patients maintains a good course of antibiotic treatment.  We then found a mass in her breast, which we removed.  Cancer.  So, what it looks like is this small cancer in her breast metastasized to the pleural space, which is inoperable.  And that is what was discussed on Thursday.

As a student, I want so badly to have all of the answers to all aspects of medicine, or at least in the area that I specialize.  But that's not realistic.  Because we can't have all the answers, which is hard for me to accept at times.  And it's hard for patients to accept that from their physicians who they put so much faith and trust in.  

But as humbling as that truth is, I am glad that it forces me to realize our place in all of this.  God is ultimately the greatest Physician; He, and He alone, offers true healing and life.  Medicine fails and has its limitations.  But God does not - cannot.

The reality of this situation is that we have no treatment options to offer this lady and she does not have much time left here on this earth. 

But, there will be a day when her pain and suffering will be no more and she will rest at the feet of her Maker.  

She became a follower of Jesus Christ that morning.

Requests.

I am over halfway done with my summer here in Haiti and I would love to share with you all some prayer requests!

Please pray for..

1.  Fast construction of the clinic.  Having a better quality clinic is absolutely essential and will allow for more patients to be seen on a daily basis.  It will also provide them with a surgical area as well as area for intensive and specialized care.

2.  Patient education and compliance.  Everyday in the clinic, I encounter cases where problems and illnesses could be avoided if the patients were properly educated.  Things like malnutrition and out of control diabetes don't have to be so common and we can definitely do something to better educate the patients.  And unfortunately there are quite a few stigmas and misconceptions regarding healthcare here, which makes the task of providing quality care a little more difficult.

3.  God to be glorified in this place.  It has been my prayer throughout this summer that these patients may come to know Christ and that they see a reflection of Him through us in the clinic.  I've been praying that what we have been doing shows the love of Christ and that we are bringing honor and glory to His name.

4.  My last few weeks here.  I have seen and done so much this summer and I have learned an incredible amount.  This summer has definitely forced me to stretch and adapt - it has been so great.  Pray that all of that continues to happen, that I can be a blessing to these people and this clinic, and that I will be receptive to God's will in my life.  

5.  And and if you feel so led, you could pray that I get some sleep.  I have always struggled with sleep issues and, unfortunately, this summer is no exception.  

Thank you so very much! 

Vanille.

The last three Sundays that I've been in Haiti, I've been going to a Haitian church that is pretty close to the clinic.  Sometimes the sermon is translated and sometimes it is not.  Sometimes there is a nice man who helps you find the songs in the hymn book so you can try to sing along in Creole or French.  And, if you are lucky, a dog named Squirrely will come sit at your feet.  Everyone is super friendly at that church - I shake a lot of hands and am greeted by quite a few people.  Very pleasant and welcoming.  

Today, however, we decided to go to church in Port-au-Prince.  We went to an English speaking church, heard a good sermon, and sang a whole bunch of beautiful hymns.  It was great.  

Then we got lunch at a Chinese restaurant.  That's right, really good Chinese food in Haiti.

In addition to serving good Asian food, Haiti is also known for their coffee (one of their biggest crops) and some super awesome vanilla.  And if you know me, you know that I live on coffee and love to overuse vanilla in my baking - so I made some super great purchases today.  Also, I paid less than a dollar for this vanilla and if you try to get it in the States, it's twelve dollars.  Wonderful. 

So, there's a little bit on my day in Port.  Happy Sunday to you all and have a great week!

Jezi.

Sometimes I forget that I'm in Haiti.  That sounds crazy - I know - but, it's true.  I know that I'm working in 100 degree weather in a hot tent because they don't have a clinic built yet.  And I'm thousands of miles from home.  And I'm surrounded by mountains.  And I work with, smile at, give shots to, talk with, and place electrodes on Haitians all of the time.  And even though so much of my life is different and temporary right now, it feels so right.  I just know that I am where I'm supposed to be and I am doing what I'm supposed to be doing.  And the people that I work with are just people - God's people - and there is no distinction between 'me' and 'them' or black and white or Haitian and American or rich and poor, we're all the same.  When I think - or don't think - of all of this that way, then I start to understand how I forget that I am somewhere else and just land on the fact that I am where I have been called to be.  And then peace closes in all around me.

Peace that I cannot explain, that I don't need to explain.  

One of my favorite parts of my day is early in the morning, before we start seeing patients and the busyness sets in.  The staff lead devotions for the patients and they always start with a hymn.  It is loud and beautiful and I can't understand a word except for the occasional 'Jezi', but I know that they are worshiping and praising my God.  And in those moments, their pains and worries are quieted and there is peace.  Not in ignorance, but in knowing that God is in control and He is good.

Over these last several years, that is what has been holding me together - God is good and God is in control.  I need to hear that truth all of the time.  I needed to hear that this week, because this week was not easy.  I wanted so badly to be with my family and my extended family through some hard times this past week.  And we faced a lot of sad and challenging moments in the clinic these past few days.  And I'm wresting with my future and where that may or may not lead.  But even still, God is good and He is in control.  

And that brings me peace.

Bambi.

I'm taking a break from the Haiti updates to talk about someone I love so incredibly much.

One of the greatest blessings in my life is being a big sister to a few amazing people.  I can't tell you how awesome my siblings are, but I will try.  And today, we are talking about this little guy:

My little brother leaves for Basic Training tomorrow.  And I won't be able to see him until December, which breaks my heart.

William, you are amazing.  You seize life with this incredible zeal.  You are so compassionate and loving.  You are brave and confident.  You have all of Alex's best qualities, which brings me to tears.  

You make me so proud and I am so blessed that I get to be your sister.  I cannot wait to see all of the great things that you will do with your life.

Thank you for your strong desire and willingness to serve our country. 

I love you so very much, my baby brother.

Report.

I've already been in Haiti for two weeks, which seems crazy.  I feel like I just got here, but I guess time goes so fast when you're keeping busy in the clinic all day.

I still can't believe all that I've seen and been able to do...which is infinitely more than I could in the States.  

Here's my list of the top five things that I have seen/done thus far:

1.  Assisted in a surgery where we removed a breast tumor slightly larger than my two fists.  

2.  Drained an extreme pleural effusion (excess fluid in the pleural space), which is likely TB.

3.  Treated a lady that likely had Osteogenesis Imperfecta, which basically means that her bones break rather easily and do not heal properly, leaving her with a short stature (she was about 3 feet tall) and prone to many more breakages throughout her life.  

4.  Biopsied an upper jaw tumor.  Her tumor was rather large and we are hoping that she will be able to have surgery this fall when a maxillofacial surgeon comes to the country.

5.  Drained a few abscesses (these really aren't that special or unique, but they are rather gross and pretty cool..)

Happy Sunday, friends!

Have a great week!

Fourth.

Well, you know what's better than a post on the Fourth of July about the Fourth of July?  A post on said subject nearly a week later.

Truth is, I wanted to post that day, but I was busy and then got a little distracted and alas, here we are - six days later and I'm finally getting around to it.  

I didn't think of making plans for Independence Day this year, because I was leaving the country and knew that my schedule wouldn't really be my own.  But, I was super excited when I found out that we (the people who live on this complex) would be celebrating - I love the Fourth of July!

We ate outside and enjoyed super American-y foods, which included 'red, white, and blue' cupcakes - precious!  [Side note - I did not bake these cupcakes...but I am hoping to clock some baking time while here this summer.  I need to!]

For our entertainment for the night, we watched National Treasure together because it was the most American movie (that they own) we could think of...I'm serious.  The whole evening was great and made me feel like we were some cute little family...of clinic employees.

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And to conclude this post, I give you a tidbit on my day in the clinic.  We can now start a tally on the number of babies I make cry while here this summer with my first coming today.  I gave the cutest baby boy a shot in his leg for pneumonia...and now I'm certain that he will hate me forever.  You win some, you lose some?  

Jacmel.

Yesterday, I went on a little journey with some friends.

We headed off for the beach in Jacmel, which is on the Southern coast of Haiti.

The drive was about two hours, but every inch of it was completely worth it.  Most of the drive was on a winding road through the mountains.  I wish so very badly that my pictures could do justice to how amazingly beautiful this country is..

We drove through all of this...

...to get to this:  

I didn't get quite that pink..but close. 

And I watched this:

They weren't that good..but the effort was there:)

And I ate this:  

Lambi and bannann - fried conch and plantain.

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The whole time we spent at the beach and driving to and from it, I couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful this country is - just truly beautiful.  And then I realized that I get to see the beauty in this country every single day through the patients that I work with.  God made no mistakes when He carefully and wonderfully made this country full of these beautiful people.  

Twenty-one.

Last year on my birthday, I gave you a list of twenty things that you may not know about me.

And this year as I turn twenty-one I had to think of something to do for my blog.

Ah, so here we are.  Twenty-one things that I will do before I leave this life:  

1. Jump out of a plane.

2. Go to the Olympics.

3. Swim with sharks.

4. Throw a dart at a map and go where it lands.

5. Celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Ireland.

6. Ride a camel. Or elephant. 

7. Go on a safari. 

8. Take my mom to Greece. 

9. Learn how to knit. Seriously. 

10. Camp in Alaska.  

11. Attend Sundance. 

12. Go sailing.

13. See the pyramids.

14. Just go everywhere in Europe.

15. Attend the lantern festival.

16. Go on a hot air balloon ride. 

17. Learn a new language.

18. Get published. 

19. Graduate medical school. 

20. Marry my best friend.

21. Adopt a child.  


Also, thank you for all of the birthday wishes - they all made me smile!
(You should know that if you tried texting/calling me, I did not intentionally ignore you...I just don't have a phone in Haiti.)

Joumou.

Yes, that title is Joumou, not to be confused with Vodou, which is extremely prevalent in Haitian culture and something I'm sure I will talk about at some point.

"Soup Joumou" is a pretty standard Haitian dish and what we had for lunch today.  It is either made with squash or pumpkins..I'm thinking this is of the pumpkin variety.  And it's also full of a bunch of other vegetables.  But fun fact for you all, the French masters would not allow the Haitian slaves to eat this dish as it was sort of a delicacy.  It is now, however, eaten by most Haitians on January 1st, when they celebrate their independence from the French in 1804!

Speaking of independence days, we are celebrating ours' tomorrow night - go America! 

And what spectacular Haitian dish did I have for dinner tonight, you ask?  PB&J. 

Clinique.

Today was my first day in the clinic.  

Patients arrive pretty early and wait for their appointments throughout the day.  First, there are clinic devotions, so every patient is presented with the gospel and offered more education - fantastic!  The clinic administrator then decides the order in which they are seen.  Visits cost the patients about $1.50US, but if they cannot pay, they do not have to.  All of the appointments go rather fast, so the doctors, nurse, and physician's assistant see quite a few people throughout the day, totaling to around 150.  There are two Haitian doctors, one male and one female, on staff, which I think is really great that HHM hires Haitians and isn't exclusively American.  

I spent my morning working with the American doctor, and I saw SO much!  We saw several pregnant women.  I measured some pregnant bellies and was taught several things about how to read a sonogram, which is pretty neat.  I took a lot of blood pressures and pulses throughout the day.  We also saw several patients with diabetes, which, of course, is pretty rough if it is poorly (or not) managed.  I also helped with surgery prep for the minor surgery and the biopsy performed today.  And I saw what pretty advanced congestive heart failure looks like on a sonogram - crazy - and learned how to measure hematocrit.  

My afternoon was spent seeing a whole bunch of children with the physician's assistant, which was great.  We talked about ear infections and respiratory infections that kids suffer from, which was rather common among the little ones we saw today.  

So, in all day one in the clinic was great.  I've learned and seen so much..and I have six more weeks of this stuff to go!  

Revelation of the day:  I must learn Creole or French.  

Arrival.

I have arrived!  

Here's the story:

My flight from MSP to Newark left at 5:46 this morning.  I landed in time to make the final boarding call for my flight to Port-au-Prince.  The coolest part of the whole flight was hearing how excited some people were to be returning to their home and families in Haiti.  I exited the plane to the  music of a small band playing at the entrance.  After waiting for my baggage for a long time (and then remembering how helpful it is to have purple luggage), I was picked up by two people who work at HHM and then we started our journey through Port.  Drivers are incredibly aggressive and don't observe any resemblance of traffic laws, but fortunately my driver was just as aggressive.  There was so much to see on the drive from the airport to the clinic, just amazing.  The storefronts are so colorful and the markets so lively -- people are everywhere.  Mountains surround us and we are right on the water, which does not go unappreciated by someone from the Midwest.  

The clinic is in the country, outside of Gressier.  My first day in the clinic will be Monday and tomorrow morning I get to go to my first church service in Haiti!

Now, enjoy some pictures that I tried taking while simultaneously listening and learning and generally observing:

-markets by the road-

-check out the sweet houses up in the mountains-

-my view from the clinic-

(Better pictures coming later)

Well, friends, I'm heading to bed under my mosquito net after my refreshing cold shower.  Thanks for praying for my travels and I would love it if you would continue to do so :)

And that concludes my first post in the new summer series, 

"The Chronicles of Haiti".

..like you didn't see that one coming..

Stars.

On my last night in rural ND for the summer, I found myself yearning to lie in silence beneath the stars.  

Gazing at the stars reminds me how amazing my God is, how small I am, and how fleeting my time is in this life.  And I sat there asking God who He wants me to be - a wife, a mother, a physician, a missionary, etc.?  What is my life to be about and what kind of things am I to do?

And through the quietness that surrounded me, I heard the subtle whisper, "Just show them Me."

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I can't wait to see what God is doing underneath the Haitian sky.

Preparations.

I leave for Haiti in 16 days.  Crazy.

Since I have posted last, I have..

a) Purchased plane tickets.  I fly out of MSP on June 30th at 5:46 a.m. and will arrive in Port-au-Prince at 2:08 p.m. 

b) Confirmed my place to stay.  Until a few days ago, we didn't know where I was going to live.  The guesthouse at Haiti Health Ministries was lost in the earthquakes a few years ago and they have been trying to rebuild them.  It wasn't certain if they would be finished by the time that I get there, but I received an email informing me that they have all the supplies (and time!) to get the shower, bathroom, sinks, beds, walls, and doors finished!  To be honest, this wasn't one of my major concerns about this whole thing.  All that I knew was that I had tickets and was going, so figuring out a place to live for six weeks wasn't going to be a huge deal.  But hearing this news was definitely exciting! 

c) Found out that I will have internet.  I didn't know if this would be happening or not, but it should be fine - so that's fantastic!  I definitely do not need to be connected for survival, but I am looking forward to keeping in touch with my friends and family.  And of course, I am excited to continue sharing my stories with all of you! 

d) Discovered my summer schedule.  I have been on this quest to become a morning person for some time now.  And I have been failing miserably, embarrassingly.  But, I will have to be up and functional and smiley (maybe that isn't necessary, but I think it is necessary) by 6 a.m. everyday.  This is good, because maybe this summer will go down in my life's history as the one in which I finally become a morning person.  I'll keep you posted! 

e) Seen some friends, been extremely lazy, and had some fun.  After my exam, I went to Wisconsin to hang out with my roommate for a little bit.  Then I headed back to Minneapolis to see some friends (such as one who has been out of the country for five months) and to attend a super cute wedding (I danced?).  Then I ran back home the following morning so I could be at my brother's graduation and help my mother make some cupcakes.  And since then I have been in a pseudo-hibernation state before I get back on track and focus.

And what do I have to do before I leave the country?

I need to get my applications squared away, which includes my personal statement and finalizing my list of schools to apply to.  As girly as it sounds, I need to do some shopping..which also means purchasing three gallons of sunscreen.  I need to get myself to the doctor and finish my vaccinations.  And I need to finish raising support for this trip.  Woo! 

So, with a little over two weeks to go, there is much to be accomplished, but we press on.  It will get finished, I'm sure it will.  It's just a matter of when :) 

And this is where I have been finding rest..

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." -Galatians 2:20

Announcement!

These past few years of college and planning for my future have really forced to stop and remember why I do this all.  There is so much uncertainty in my life right now, but I am always humbled to remember the only certainty in my life.  In Psalm 16:11 David says, "You have made known to me the paths of my life, you will make me full of gladness with your presence."  As I have been praying for my life and where God is calling me, this is something God continues to remind me.  I do not know where I will be a year or two years from now, but I do know the promise of God's presence and the beautiful implications that has for my life.  God will reveal His perfect will for my life and I am called to follow that all the while living and loving in the joy and gladness that comes from being in communion with my Lord.  

In December, I started thinking about what I would be doing with my summer and how I was to spend my time.  The only thing I knew for sure was that I was going to take the MCAT and apply to medical schools.  But after that, I was not certain where I would be.  I had my apartment leased through the summer, so I could stay in Minneapolis and try to find a job or keep working in lab.  I also played around with the idea of going back to ND for a summer, but as much as I would love to spend some more time with my family, I did not really think that that was where God was calling me to go.  

And then God started working on my heart.  I continued to pray that God would reveal His will for my life, particularly my summer.  I knew that I had time and all I wanted to do was serve the Lord and be obedient to His will.  After several months of prayer and preparation, I am excited to announce that...

I will be going to Haiti for six weeks!

I will be volunteering with Haiti Health Ministries in Gressier, Haiti.  I plan to leave on June 30th and return on August 11th.  HHM seeks to show the love of Christ to the people of Haiti and to build and develop believers.  And through that ministry, they operate an outpatient clinic, which also focuses on patient and community health education.  

When I think about all of the things that I am passionate about - this fits perfectly in there.  I will serving God and showing His love, I will working and engaging with people, I will be experiencing a new culture and country, and I will be learning more about declaring the gospel through healthcare.  I am excited for all that I will learn and see and experience this summer.  I am overwhelmed with joy and excitement thinking about the opportunities that God will place before me.  

 I would love it so much if you would consider praying for me as I prepare for this summer.  First, please pray for the people of Haiti - pray that they may come to know God and find true healing through Him.  Pray for HHM - pray that they may continue to seek God and be a blessing to the people of Haiti.  And pray for the reconstruction of their buildings, which they lost in the earthquakes.  Please pray that I will continue to seek God's will through all of this, that He will be my primary focus and through that I will be able to serve Him better.  Please pray that I will open and flexible during my time there and that I will be a blessing to HHM and the people of Haiti.  And please pray for me as I prepare to take my MCAT (in less than two weeks) and submit my medical school applications before leaving the states.  

If you want to know more about the details of my volunteer trip, please email me your mailing address to rebecca.a.asp@gmail.com and I can send you more information.  And in addition to praying for me, I would love it if you would consider financially supporting my time as a missionary this summer.  I can send you more information on this as well (please email me your mailing address).  

While I am in Haiti, I will continue to update my blog and tell you of my experiences.  So please keep reading!