Leaving one week from today, I've been spending lots of time gathering donated food, supplies, and medicines from generous friends and strangers. My study has been converte
d into a mini-warehouse, full of rice and beans, shoes and socks, soap and shampoo, nuts and raisins. I've found Rubbermaid-type foot lockers with wheels on the bottom to use as checked luggage. I figured with no storage rooms, or buildings, Pastor Val and those that give care at the orphanage could use something like this to keep things dry. I had an epiphany the other while shopping for some of these things...I went to a large warehouse store, and loaded my cart with a 25 pound bag of rice, a 35 pound jug of cooking oil, some powdered milk and some beef boullion cubes. As I was checking out, the gathering storm outside cut loose in a torrential downpour. Now I had to get all of this into my trunk, in the pouring rain. As I loaded it, getting drenched in the process, my heart ached for my friends who have no place to hide from weather like this. There is no house or building to run to for many in Haiti, and even a tent seems of little help in rough weather like that.
With wet clothes and a ruined hairdo, I got in the driver's seat and went to buy a tent. Getting wet like that in 15 seconds, made me re-think all I planned to take. The running shoes I was wearing were soaked and would take hours to dry, so they were no longer a practical choice. I need to think about adding a rain jacket and an umbrella to my packing list. And my tent selection process was suddenly much more complicated, as I deliberated with the nice man at Dick's about the effectiveness of the rain fly, and the tent's sturdiness in a gale force wind. I plan to leave this tent, by the way, for Pastor Val. (He told me he was still sleeping in his truck!)
So I decided on a four
person dome tent, one that gives a little head room in case you had to do something besides sleep in it...like live in it. I set it up last night to practice. At first I was determined to do it alone, considering that it might be raining when I have to do it for real. But after some consternation (and in all fairness...tents have become much more user-friendly over the years...), I solicited my chuckling husband's help. I told him not to help me at first, but after watching me struggle, and telling me that the living room was not the best place for this, we moved it outside and put it up together in less than 15 minutes. I feel confident that, especially if it is still light outside, it is not raining, and there are not any chickens trying to move in with me, I can do it! Plus, I'll have Abby with me, who is much more adventurous, and plucky, than I, though maybe slightly less experienced in tent erecting. :) I even managed to get it all back in the tidy little bag it came in.Ziploc bags are a
mazing: I plan to divide up all the rice, beans, oatmeal, dry milk, nuts, raisins, and boullion into to family-sized portions, just in case we will be sharing food with the community around the orphanage. Certainly Yrma will be able to use these portions as well for the children, but there are many others now that will need help, too. I'll leave that up to Pastor Val and Yrma.I'm excited to go, but a little apprehensive about the unknowns...always so many. I told someone this morning, I feel like I am running to keep up with God; He is going so fast. Does He know I feel so inadequate, so unable to make good decisions at a moment's notice? Does He know that I prefer to be taken care of, not lead others on adventures? And yet, I find myself doing this again and again.
Two prayer requests, selfishly: that my heel pain will subside before this trip, and that no tarantulas will move into my tent while I am out for the day!
But seriously, (the heel pain is a serious concern) we would appreciate anyone who would like to pray to ask the Lord for the following:
- a safe and healthy week
- wisdom and guidance as we move forward in trying to best help those God has put in our lives
- divine appointments and contacts
- favor with the officials at border control and customs for goods we must begin to ship to Haiti
- rest and refreshment in the Holy Spirit for Pastor Val, Yrma, his sister, and the children and families that live around Val Children's Home Care.
- for every need to be met
- For many to find the Lord in the midst of all the chaos and difficulty.
Kellee, I laughed reading about you putting up that tent, and thinking about maybe having to do it in the rain, knowing how much you LOVED our wet camping trip several years ago. Hey, little did you know that was preparing you for this... :)
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