How does one begin to describe the myriad of thoughts, emotions, anxieties, hopes, spiritual excitement... Perhaps the best solution is to simply allow the tangle to be just that - a tangle.
So many questions! What happens if...? When will we...? How will they...? And my inadequate, unhappy answer is this: "I don't know!"
And yet, that answer is what makes a trip like this so important. While most of us, especially those of us who are parents, prefer absolute clarity, we are not granted it. Not because of a lack of preparation... we simply can not know what the full itinerary of God's Purpose will be. Some of us grow frustrated, others begin to feel the pains of anxiety. While these are natural human tendencies, we must remember to adhere to the old WWII British motto, "Keep Calm and Carry On".
It's called Faith.
We preach it, sing about it, even occasionally "amen" it. But when the moment comes we often get a tight knot in the throat and allow the fear of the unknown to paralyze our spiritual movement. This mission trip will test our faith, our ability to move past the knot, past the paralysis and reach out.
Twenty-five people are leaving for Haiti on Friday, March 30. Twenty-five people, of which none can predict the divine itinerary: the struggles, the moments of apprehension, the moments of victory, the sights, the sounds, the temptations, the laughter, the cries, the grit, the beauty, the hands of a prideful people, the plight of a broken nation...
May God give us the courage to keep calm, to move forward, to have faith and carry on.
Pray for us on this journey! We will have limited access to internet service and will do our best to update our blog... but regardless, we rely on the prayers of our family, our churches, our Kingdom.
Thank you for your support, your encouragement, your prayer!
Grace...
J.D. Partain
