It's been too long

Once again, it's been too long since I've written. I think the last time was in April.. or something like that. Between then, and now, much has happened. Through it all, God's been faithful and has stretched me in many ways.

In April, I was proposed an offer to go to Port Au Prince, Haiti. I immediately took up the chance to go. However, I had to raise over $2,000 to go. I only had less than two months to raise this money because the team and I were going to go at the end of June - the money was due June 1st. It was already the middle of April. So I had more of like less than a month and two weeks to raise this money. Knowing how much I had to raise didn't seem like a big problem at first. As I discussed the excitement with some, I had mixed feelings with them. Some were so excited for me, but some thought it was impossible with the raising of money and kind of broke my momentum of wanting to go. I was reminded that nothing is too big or too small for God.

Needless to say, I ended up going to Haiti! And wow, it was awesome. I still have trouble finding words to talk about being there. The missionaries in Haiti inspired me. There was one couple who have been there for 20 years! They haven't left - let me tell you, they have true faith, love, compassion, that they have for the Haitians.

When I hit a pot hole while driving or riding in a car, I'm reminded of Haiti. Their roads were practically mine fields of pot holes. We would swirve all over the road just to make it to where we were going. It took at least (if not more) an hour from where we would stay to where we would go and do our ministry at schools, churches, and in the town (and thats not including traffic! If we hit traffic, it was more of like a 2-3 hr trip!)

After coming back from Haiti, I helped out with two camps. One was Family Camp (the Great Family Adventure), but in the kids portion. Man, oh man, did that ever stretch me. We averaged about 60-70 kids. It was hilarious though when all the kids would wait for their parents to come and pick them up. There was one kid who ran out the door and I had to go out and get him and reassure him that his parents were coming, but he didn't believe me. I remember him screaming outside, "They're NEVER going to come!!!" I eventually brought him back in.

Isn't that how we are with God? We're waiting around to be "picked up" from our situation. We might have had fun for a bit, but then eventually, it gets old. We're ready for something new. But maybe we're more in that "testing" time in our lives. In the famous words of Brother Gallagher at ZBC, "No blessing without testing." I know I would think, so true! but I'm pretty sure I would add to the thinking, I want the blessing now! I would rather skip the testing, but if I am going to go through the testing, I want it to be easy. HA! oh man.

James 1:2-8 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."

If tests were easy,  how could it bring glory to God? how could it build faith? how could we ever become more like Christ?

There's more I could talk about, but, I think I'm going to end on that note. As I sign off on this, Planetshakers song - Big - is playing. Check it out.

peace.
lp