Praises from the Start

There is still roughly seven weeks until I leave for Haiti and as I am beginning to prepare for this trip all I can do is continually praise the Lord for His sovereignty in this. In the last several weeks I have begun to raise money for my trip. Of course, support for my internship this summer was basically the thing I was most worried about in regards to Haiti this summer. However, as of yesterday evening, I have raised well over what I needed in support. Praise God!

It has also been really cool to see how many conversations I have been able to have concerning my internship. Usually when I first tell people about my summer plans and explain to them I'll be interning, they automatically assume that it is with some business or firm here in the states. But upon farther questioning, I'm able to explain to them that I'll be spending five weeks on my summer in northern Haiti serving kids with special needs. There's been some pretty incredible conversations that have come from it.

Another huge blessing as been how much support, prayer and encouragement I have already received more than two months out. I want to thank my parents first and foremost for giving me their blessing and support to accept such an awesome opportunity that the Lord has presented to me. It has been so huge to know that I have had you guys backing me in this decision. It was also incredible to see how many of my friends and family were willing to financially support me in this as well. I can not begin to tell you how thankful I am for your generosity and support. There is certainly no way I would be able to serve in Haiti this summer without you! It means so much to me!

Perhaps most overwhelming and moving is to hear or read that someone is praying for me! It is so encouraging! Just this past Sunday I was at a lunch called Potluck in the Park where college students from Blinn and A&M bring food to a local park in Bryan to eat with people and families from neighboring areas of Bryan on the weekend when food pantries are closed. While I was there this week I was talking with my friend Hannah. My trip this summer came up and she asked the specific dates I would be going so that she could be praying for me. I immediately thought back to the last time Hannah asked if she could pray for me, back in January during application reading for Impact. She sat in the middle of the hallway with my partner, Ryan, and I, praying with us for our camp, the application process and for us to both keep going. Thinking back on that now, I can still remember how moved I was then. It moved me so much, not only that Hannah had come to pray with us, but that this was one of the first times I had ever met her. And she was already praying for me then. So I know with complete confidence that now, when I leave in June, roughly six months from that night in January, that my friend Hannah will be praying for me. Knowing that Hannah, along with so many others in the U.S. will be fighting for me and praying on the behalf of the children of the Miriam center means the world to me. It is such an incredible blessing amongst so many of the praises I have!

It's been nothing but praises from the start in regards to my internship this summer! The Lord has blessed me with so much and I know there will be countless more praises for Him this summer!