So, I'm a blogger...

I have to be honest: I'm not a tech-y person. My dear friend Darcie started blogging months ago, and she's been encouraging me to start, but it's never happened... until now. If you are reading this blog, you probably already know about my plans to go to the Mission of Hope (you can get more details about this in the 'About Me' section), and by -attempting- to update this regularly, I hope to provide you with a link to my life in Haiti.
That being said, it is becoming apparent to me that the growth and challenge in a step like this will not begin when I step off the plane in Haiti, but began the moment I accepted this new opportunity. Already I have experienced the Lord speaking to me and revealing fresh truths as I prepare for this new adventure, and I want to be able to share them with you as they arise.
Before I go any farther tonight, I want to expand on the title I chose for my blog. As I was pondering different names, I was searching for something meaningful that would be kind of like a 'theme' to this new opportunity that has arisen in my life... The word that stuck out to me was HOPE.
Hope is a word that carries meaning for me in a few different contexts, which I will expand on:
First of all, Haiti has been identified as one of the most impoverished countries in the world... a country desperate for hope. Disease, violence, unemployment and death are a fact of life where families struggle not only for peace, but survival. The Mission of Hope was built to offer exactly that... hope. Hope for families, hope for a future, hope for peace, hope for life. Exciting expansions are taking place within the hospital and orphanage and I feel honored to be a part of it. At last I can use the immeasurable blessings that have been poured out on me, to overflow onto others who are so desperate.
The second reason I chose hope for my title was because of the peace I find in it as I venture away from this place of comfort. It is very easy for me to feel overwhelmed with fear and doubt as I look ahead to what the future holds. I know without question that this is the call the Lord has placed on my life, but I struggle to break away from the security I find here in Wainfleet. In these times of struggle, I have to focus on where I've been and the Lord's presence I have experienced in the past. He has carried me through so much already, and as I reflect on His faithfulness, I can be confident in the hope that He will never leave me. Despite the storms that will come, His unfailing promises of love will endure.
And above all, Jesus has given me so much hope by paying the ultimate price and sacrificing His life for mine, so that I may have freedom to live and be with Him forever someday. There is no greater peace or hope than that.
These thoughts about hope give me courage not just to accept what's ahead for me in this life, but to willingly EMBRACE it.
I want to thank you for journeying with me through this time. It is my prayer that the stories and thoughts that come out through my posts in the months ahead would be a testament to the faithfulness of the Lord. And also, that you would be encouraged and reminded of the everlasting love and grace we share together when we put our hope in Him.