5 days till Haiti

I cannot believe I am writing this right now…I remember counting down 3 months till Haiti…time has flown and I am so thankful for this. Courtney told me a few months ago that March would fly and poof it will be May and she was right!

This week is crazy…. As I just wrote I am flying back from my interview in Reno, I am moving at my apartment and graduating from college and heading to Haiti all in 1 week. I feel like I am in a whirlwhind with a spectrum of emotions from excitement for Haiti to sad that I am leaving all my college friends and some I do not know when I will see them again to Nervous about what I am going to see in PAP and the changes in Haiti I will see to anticipation to see what God has in store. I am feeling a little overwhelmed with everything to do before the end of the week. I am thankful that I have a God who knows me inside and out. A God who knows each of my emotions and meets me where I am giving me comfort, crying with me when I cry, comforting me when I am anxious and nervous and even preparing me for what I will see in Haiti. How amazing to know that I do not have to go threw any of this on my own.

I have so much to do to prepare for Haiti yet. The biggest thing left though it definitely packing my suitcases with the over abundance of supplies with limited weight. Not sure how this is going to work but God does! 

Many of you may have not heard my plans for my 5 weeks in Haiti and some of you may not have heard that I have extended my trip to 5 weeks. I will be heading to Haiti on May 10th and staying till June 14th. The following are my big projects I have planned while in Haiti
1. While in Haiti I will be running the For Jonathan Sake outreach program for disabled children of the community doing occupational therapy as well as teaching the mothers of the children how to sew in our new vocational program aspect to the already running For Jonathan Sake program.
2. I will be doing evaluations on around 40-50 children and writing treatment plans for them
3. I will be finishing up my sign-language videos and working with the children teaching them sign-language
4. Educating workers of Miriam Center and the PT Haitian student
5. Hoping to spend a few days in PAP feeding the tent city that we have been collecting money for
6. I also have some sewing projects, woodwork projects, etc.
7. While in Haiti I will also be studying 2-3 hours a day for my national board examination I will be taking in July
8. MOST IMPORTANTLY I will loving on these kids and sharing Christ’s love with them.

I have the wonderful opportunity of facilitating 2 groups while I am in there. One being a group from Oklahoma (Lori Basey an OT, 2 nurses and 2 special ed teachers) This group are all part of another mission organization No Boundaries International. I have known Lori for over 2 years and have built a relationship over the phone and I can’t wait to meet her. They will be there my first 2 weeks and tehn my last 2 weeks Emily Bailey and her mom are coming to Haiti for the first time. They are both nurses. I am hoping to travel Haiti with them and take them to see many of the different ministries including the Far west and the new big orphanage I have never been to before.

I have a lot of Thank you’s to say
1. Thank you to each of you who have provided financially for my trip, for supplies, for shipping costs, and for all you have showered me with prayers!
2.Thank you Uncle Walt for custom making steal hangers for the therapy swings
3. Thank you dad for building a scooter board, swing, and helping me collect all my supplies, keep up on financial end of things, etc.
4. Thank you mom for helping me pick out all the fabric and supplies I need, helping sew supplies, cutting the fabric, etc.
5. Thank you to Superduper Duplications and Sydspeak for the therapy donations
6. Thank you to Jim Nollan at Presquile Rehab for his generous donation of time, supplies, and labor for wheelchairs
7. Thank you to all the churches who invited me to speak and donated financially
8. Thank you to all those invovled in teh peanut butter drives and the "Spread the Love campaign"

I am so excited to find out what God has in store for me the next 5 and half weeks. Thank you for joining in on this journey and adventure with me. Please keep me in your prayers as well as the country of Haiti, the Miriam Center, For Jonathan’s Sake, all the missionaries, and all those still suffering from the earthquake.

Thank you Again!!!!