Never Doubt.

Never doubt Christ. That's been an extreme lesson learned these past few weeks as I have been getting ready to leave for Haiti. This time last month we had $600 saved to go to Haiti, each one of our tickets are $700...so you can see why we would start getting kind of nervous, maybe doubting that we could get the money, or just thinking we were wrong and this year wasn't the year that God had planned for us to go into Haiti. Then my grandparents and Stan told us we needed to send out prayer letters because we are technically short term missionaries. So we did. We sent out almost 100 letters. I'm still having a difficult time believing we have gotten all of the money that we have!! It's amazing. We have raised well over the $1400 we needed to get us into Haiti, we have almost $2000 extra we are going to be able to take into Haiti and use to help the people, and we still have money rolling in. GOD IS SO GOOD!!! The day I got my very first check and the promise that people would be praying for me I couldn't stop crying, the feeling knowing people care, and are going to be thinking about you as you do the Lords Will...the feeling is indescribable. I know for certain, a lot of the money mom and I have been so blessed to receive was a sacrifice for the givers, but I also know, there is going to be an amazing blessing in it. I have grown so close to so many people through this trip already. I'm so blessed. I could go on and on, and tell story after story about how I have received the money. But I'm going to save that for another post, because it's super late and I'm exhausted. I do want to share a story of a conversation I had with my Papaw Smith a few weeks ago. He is one of my heroes, one of the most important people in my life. Him and my grandma are so important to me, I'm not sure what I would ever do without them. But anyway, we were in his truck on our way to move my aunt and uncle into their new house, and he was telling me about his trip to Haiti he took in the 80's,he was telling me about how those children looked. How their hair was a reddish color and their little tummies were bloated because they hadn't eaten in days. He started crying, and I have never seen him cry before, he was telling me about how he couldn't wait to get to heaven and all of those beautiful little Haitian children were going to come up to him, and talk to him. How they would thank him for the telling them about Christ, because if he hadn't they possibly wouldn't be there with him. It was one of those moments I will never forget. I can't wait to be able to say that I'm going to see those Haitians again in heaven. That's going to be amazing.
I want to share a card that I received from someone who sent me money and promised to pray for me, it said....
THE SERVANT'S REWARD...
One day, when you are in heaven, someone will come up to you and thank you for the way to touched his or her life. The person's words will take you completely by surprise. Soon another will seek you out, and then another, and another. As you listen to each one's story you will begin to discover all the ways that God used your life when you were unaware of it. You will find that it was most often not through the big things you did, but through the small and simple things-a spoke word that was not planned, a spontaneous act of kindness, a loving attitude or a caring smile. To your joy you will discover that in all these ways and more, God used you to deposit an eternal measure of His love, into many needy hearts. HE IS USING YOU IN MORE WAYS THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE!
This wasn't just written for someone who is going over seas, or for someone who has spent their whole lives as a pastor, it's meant for us everyday people. So next time you are standing in line at the bank, and it looks like someone is having a bad day, smile at them and share the love of Jesus.
I think it's so cool that God lets us share His love, we are so unworthy, and yet everyday He gives us the opportunity to tell others about Him. I love Christ more than anything, and I can't wait to go to preach the gospel to the Haitians.:)