Processing Ponderings

So, as I've been able to process a bit more exiting Haiti and the things that are brewing inside of me there are a few things that are clear to me.

1. God is on the Move - The ways that God moved in our team and how God has shown himself to the GO team, there is something up in Senior High. I'm excited for it and at the same time, very hesitant to get overly excited for fear that we will miss the point that God has for us.

2. There is a cure for "Victimitis Virus" - While a huge number of people in Haiti lived under the reign of Satan (which I believe, happened and ended in 1991), there is a huge feeling of potential and hope in Haiti and the village that we were in, Bois de Lance. On top of that, the people of Haiti aren't crying "victim." For the most part, if they were offered the opportunity for a better life in the form of a job, I think they would take it. But for a nation that is plagued by an unemployment of something around 90% and a landscape that doesn't offer much in the form of agriculture, there simply aren't enough opportunities for the entire nation.

Yet, the people, especially the youth, are far from victims. They do what they can with what they have been given. They play some type of role in the hardships that they face. They have refused to not make some type of attempt to make their life better. This mentality is so much different from many people in our society. When things suck, situations seem impossible, we give up and blame someone else. Now, more than ever, I refuse to accept that mentality. We have a role to play in any situation we face. We have the ability to make things better, even if that simply means having a good attitude about the situation.

3. Where to next? - This was my first trip outside of the country and my first time leading a trip for students. On many levels, I learned entirely too much for one trip and one mind. But as I've processed and recognized some of the things that God was teaching specifically to me, I am convinced that this is not the end of missions for me; by a long shot. Because of that reality, I'm wondering, prayerfully seeking, and trying to discern where God would have me go next. I'm not claiming that I'm turning into a missionary, not even close. But, through the entire last week, I have felt like there is something next; another adventure to set out on.

4. I am not, but He Is. - As I have continued to process and listened to the stories of some of the GO participants, weighing the experience that I got to observe in the students on the Impact trip, I am seeing this theme rise up and rear its beautifully empowering, hugely humbling head. If we can continue to recognize how Good He is, and realize how incapable we are without His Spirit and His Power, we will be able to see Him and His mighty move, every day. Less of us, more of Him.

I'm so excited for Summer Camp. I'm pumped to explore with students what it means to be Different; to find our lives being set apart. Holy. How we can completely surrender to the things that He is calling us toward and pulling us into. This year has the potential to define a lot of things for many people. I'm praying for many little moments.

GC