Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Nicole Goes Deep - May 1, 2009

One week...

So one week from today, I'll be in Haiti. (Granted everything goes smoothly). CRAZY...I know! I just thought I'd take some time to write down my raw feelings about it. I'm not going to sugar coat anything...I'm just gonna tell it how it is.

I'm excited. I am SO excited!!! Mission trips have been on my heart for YEARS and it's finally becoming a reality for me. Just to think that I'll be in Jacmel, Haiti a week from today is mindblowing. It feels like yesterday I was sending in my application forms and anxiously waiting to hear if I was accepted or not. And now I'm a mere 7 days away from being there. AHHH!!! I'm excited to be engulfed in a new culture. Not that I dislike Americans or the USA (I love it here and am so thankful for our many freedoms)...but I'm ready to experience something new. New people, new language, new food, new everything...I'm excited for NEW. I'm excited to get dirty, take cold showers, and not have to "dress up". I'm excited to be in a culture and surrounded by people that value beauty at it's core. Beauty that comes from WITHIN and not outward appearances. Beauty the way it was intended by God. I'm excited to meet Danny and Leanne Pye and their amazing children. (All 23 of them). I can't wait to hear their own stories about how God is working in their lives. I'm excited to spend 8 days with 9 amazing people. I am so thankful for my team and how God has brought us together. I'm excited to see life transformations not only others but also in myself. And I'm so excited to see how God uses this trip not only in my life, but in the lives of others...both in Haiti and back home.

I'm nervous. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. What makes me most nervous is sleep. I'm a very...VERY light sleeper and I don't do well with noise. With that being said...you might be wondering how on earth I'm going to survive. Considering I'll be in a house in the middle of Jacmel with the noises of voodoo drums, animals, people, and nature all humming outside my window. Not to mention I'll be in a room full of girls (some of whom may snore...haha) all while being confined to my bunk enclosed with mesquito netting. God is sufficient. I am fully confident that he will provide for me. Maybe I don't get sleep the first two nights I'm there...so that I'm so exhausted by the third night, I fall asleep with no problem. I don't know how it's going to be-- I've never been. But I know that God has a plan and that he holds me in his hand and that wherever I go...he'll be there too. So yes, I'm nervous about sleep...but I find comfort in God's promises. He will get me through.

I'm faithful. What I mean by this is that I have full trust in God in this trip. He planned it, he put it together, and his will will be done. Yes, it would be nice to have all of our flights be on time and it would be nice to have all our luggage arrive in one piece and it would be nice to get sleep all 7 nights I'm there. It would be nice. But life isn't always "nice." God allows things to happen for a reason. Sometimes we may not know what that reason is at the time...and we may never know...but there is a reason. However, regardless of what bumps we may hit or what curveballs may be thrown our way, I am confident that God will get us through. He ALONE is our source of strength. I can do nothing without him. He is good and he will provide. I am faithful.

I'm ready. (Ok maybe not entirely...considering my suitcase is only half packed and I have junk strewn about haha) But for the most part...I'm ready. I'm up to date on my Hep A, Hep B, and Tetanus shots. Just got my Typhoid shot yesterday, and this morning I took my first Malaria pill. (No side effects either! *yet anyways*) I bought out the $1 travel section in Target yesterday buying "plane safe" toothpaste and other various items. WATCH OUT...I'M GOING TO TAKE DOWN THIS PLANE WITH MY 3OZ SEE-THRU BOTTLE OF FACE WASH! I mean...really?? Haha better safe that sorry I suppose. Months and months of planning have gone into this trip and I'm so stoked! I'm ready to be in Haiti! Hurry up exam week- hurry up!

I'm thankful. I am so blessed to be on the team that I'm on. We are definitely a unique group of characters but I think we compliment each other well. Where some of us may fall short-- others can pick us up and keep us going. We're a hilarious group too. I laugh the most when I'm surrounded by my teammates. In our guide book, one of the travel tips is "Do not draw attention to yourself or the group in public places, especially while waiting at airports." HAHAHA hmmm... so about those BRIGHT YELLOW t-shirts all 9 of us are going to be sporting while trapsing through RDU/JFK/Port-au-Prince while being obnoxiously loud. Right...about that. Lol I love my teammates and I'm so thankful for each of them.

We had a team meeting/dinner last weekend which included some Haitian Spaghetti (so good!) and we all had a really good time. This Sunday (the 3rd) will be our last meeting before we meet at 3:15am Friday to leave! How awesome! Continue to pray for us as we each go about this next week preparing our hearts, bodies, and minds for what's to come in Haiti. Thanks for coming alongside and being a part of this journey.

God Bless.

1 comment:

  1. I am Gwenn Mangine's mom and I was down in Haiti 2 weeks ago doing exactly what you all I believe will be doing this coming week.I still am very distracted by my trip there and so much look forward to going back.
    I left some ear plugs with Sandra at the Team housing but you should pack some more. It is noisy. I blogged many experieces there are just posted a video on my blog of our trip.
    Try to check fear at the boarder. You will find it a far freindlier place than you could imagine.
    If you meet a young girl name MarieDenise who lives across the street send her my love. Tell her Denise the sign language lady will send her a picture.
    Hug my grandchildren for me. I am sure you will see them durning the week.
    Have a great blessed and fun time. You will love Nixon and Sandra at team housing. I look forward to following your blog and will be praying for you all!

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