The Beginning- by Christy

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.  God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.  The Lord Almighty is within us; the God of Jacob is our fortress...The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."  Psalm 46: 1-11

January 12, 2010 I had just arrived home from work.  My friend Barbara sends me a text asking if I had heard of the earthquake in Haiti.  I turn the television on CNN and keep it there for the next several weeks.  Savanna and I had planned on going to Coq Chante, Haiti for a week long mission trip with Whitestone church in February.  We had both spent the past several weeks committing a group of little girls faces and names to memory.  We had spent time praying for these girls and ultimately falling in love with children we had never met.  The following day we learned that the orphanage had collapsed and the smallest girl Atanie had not made it out of the building.  We spent that evening at a prayer service grieving all this small island nation had lost. 

Whitestone's church mission was then to get the girls who were now homeless home to the US if at all possible.  Rob and I agreed to attend a short meeting discussing possibilities.  If the US would pass the humanitarian law we agreed to open our home to one of the girls.  We knew the chance of this would be small on so many levels, but we had to do something.  4 little girls and 1 boy already in the process of being adopted came home almost 1 month later.  The others have not yet. 

Over the next few months Rob and I discussed over and over the possibility of adding another little girl to our family by way of a Haitian adoption.  He was 100% for it for months.  I was lets say 92% for it.  I prayed about, worried about, thought about it.  I have 2 perfect girls.  An incredible athletic 14 year old freshman at Anderson County High School and a perfectly gorgeous athletic brainiac 11 year old who is about to finish elementary school.  We have: a great home, a couple of cars, a boat, we vacation when we want, eat out when we want.  Life is simple, easy, predictable, scheduled.  I like all those things.  I truly felt God's calling and sometimes think I felt his shouting, but refused to give in to the difficult and unknown. 

Well, a few opportunities came and went for me and Savanna to go to Haiti again.  It seems there was always a conflict: ball, a friends wedding, school.  I gave in on a Sunday in October.  I was sitting in church singing "I want to be your hands.  I want to be your feet.  I will go where you send me. Go where you send me."  I couldn't ignore the shouting any longer! Rob and the girls went to the car after the service.  I walked straight to Mark and said "Please sign me up for the next trip to Haiti."  He said, "just you?" I said "yes". 

January 6, 2011