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."

---

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! 

Awesome.

So, this isn't exactly true.  But I still think it's hilarious and we're going to go ahead and apply this to my summer.

I'm just so very excited and "awesome" is definitely a descriptor that I would employ for my expectations of this summer.  Woo.

Friends, I have an announcement. 

I will be spending six weeks of my summer as a missionary!!

Please stay tuned for a post about where, why, when, etc.  

[I'm really only posting this because I can't contain my excitement, but I want to wait until my finals are finished to post all of the details and answer questions! Until then (and after then), I would love it so much if you would be praying for this summer and my adventures ahead!] 

Now.

Life is pretty exciting right now, in the crazed calm 'reflecting on the gravity of where you are in life' kind of way.

I am registered for senior classes (Um. What? When did I turn old?).

I am applying to medical schools (Oh my, real life keeps getting realer..).

I am figuring out my exciting summer plans! (I'm going to hold off on announcing anything just yet.)

But in the midst of all of that, I think it is necessary to take a step back and refocus.  

My mind has been focusing a lot lately on a passage in Genesis, when God calls Abram.  These three short verses have literally been racking my brain and here are my reflections:

"The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

'I will make you into a great nation,

    and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

    and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,

    and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

    will be blessed through you.'"

-Genesis 12:1-3

The first word that He says to Abram is 'go'.  I love this.  We know here that this call definitely had a literal meaning to it, but beyond the physical command to leave his land, what was God really asking?  He was asking him to leave everything he knew, he was asking him to leave his family, his land, his people.  He was asking Abram to be a leader.  

The Lord was asking Abram to trust that He is good and that He is in control.

The Lord said that He would make Abram great.

He promised Abram that He would bless him - and not just to make Abram's life comfortable or easier.  But God was going to bless him with a greater intention; He was going to bless Abram so that he could be a blessing.  

God was definitely planning to do work in Abram's life and form and mold him to use for His purpose.  

But, Abram's adventure began after his response to God's calling.  

It all started after the Lord said 'go'.

So, what is God asking of me?  He is asking me to trust that He is good and that He is in control.  He is asking me to respond to Him. 

"So Abram went, as the Lord had told him." (v.4)

Break.

For break this year, I decided to join my church in their spring break "trip".  I was so excited because I love this city and wanted to get more involved in the place that I now call home. 

But the week was so much more than serving and learning about Minneapolis and St. Paul.  It was about studying God’s word to gain a better understanding of God’s heart to bless the world and our role in all of this.  And for me, the week was characterized by conviction coupled with peace and joy.  So necessary and so good.

The week was a beautiful combination of service and study.  I am confident that if we would have done one without the other, the week would not have come close to being as great as it was.  For the sake of words, I will briefly recap the week and then tell you what I took away from it:

Friday – prepared and served a homeless meal at First Covenant

Saturday – worked with Urban Homeworks, toured North Minneapolis, ate dinner with some “Urban Neighbors”

Sunday – City Vision Tour with John Mayer [I went on tour with John Mayer and ate a camel burger!], attended a Spanish-speaking church service

Monday – group study [Genesis -> Revelation; Creation, Fall, Restoration], visited International Village and met with some Bhutanese refugees

Tuesday – group study [defining what poverty really is], hung out with some kids and served at Hope Academy, visited the Source Annex

Wednesday – group study [ways to alleviate poverty], learned about and served at First Care Pregnancy Center, helped out at the Fruit of the Vine food shelf

Thursday – reflection and recap

One of the topics we discussed at length was the definition of “shalom”, which is the “Hebrew word for peace and wholeness meaning fullness of life through God-given harmony with God, the world, others, and oneself.”  Shalom describes the way things were meant to be, the world that God implemented at Creation.  It is being in right relationship with God, which causes all other relationships to fall into place.  Shalom is life before the fall.

 But, we live post-fall and suffer from broken and damaged relationships with God, the world, others, and ourselves. 

What are the consequences of this?  Poverty.  When we initially think of poverty, we think of material things, lack of basic necessities, and merely the external circumstances.  But if we give poverty a biblical definition, we begin to see that poverty is deeper than surface level – it is the absence of shalom.  Poverty can be everywhere – it is everywhere.  Looking at poverty from a biblical mindset, we are forced to evaluate all areas of our lives.  And when we realize that we are all poverty-stricken, the differences between all of us start to fade away.  We can finally see that at the core of it all, we are all suffering from the same thing – a broken relationship with our Maker, with others, the world, creation, and oneself.

Who can alleviate poverty and restore shalom? God can.  And one day He will.  Revelation talks about the new heaven and the new earth – “’Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.  He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every team from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.’ (21:3-4)”  Friends, I look forward to that day, where God will completely restore all things and the old will be no more!

Christ’s death and resurrection are part of that restoring power, as is the development of the church, the body of Christ.  We have been shown the deep, unconditional, unrelenting, and sacrificial love of God through the death of Jesus Christ for our redemption.  What implications does this have for us as followers of Christ?  What is our role in restoring shalom?  We need to fight to build for God’s kingdom, allow ourselves to be used by God to be a blessing to others, and live as ambassadors for Christ with the message of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-20).  “If you spend yourself in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday (Isaiah 58:10).”  Working to restore shalom – restore relationships – requires investment, spending ourselves for the sake of others, in service to God.  And in this intentional investment, we will come to realize everyone has something to offer and we can all unite to build for the kingdom. 

What would it take for us to actually live differently?  How would this city look if we lived with more intention, working to build for the kingdom and restore shalom?  We all have different talents and different ways to reach the world.  And we have been called to declare the message of reconciliation as ambassadors of Christ.  So, how can we spend ourselves on behalf of others, be a blessing to this city, and glorify God?

 

 You can also find this post on the Women at Hope blog.