Hey Everyone!

I know its been a while since I wrote anything, so I'll give you a brief update:

I got back from a great, four month, trip to Africa in May. I loved my time in Africa and I am thankful for the opportunity I had there to serve and learn. But even while I was in Africa my heart was burning to go back to the Haitian people.

When I got back to America I wanted to go visit Haiti, but the timing was not right, and I spent the summer working. I am now well into my first semester of Nursing school.
The first few weeks of adjusting to school took all my focus, but I am now settling into the heavy work load of a 2 year RN program. Daily I speak to myself in Creole to make the"Homesickness-for-Haiti" go away, but it only makes it worse in a strange and comforting way.

I don't know what God has for my future or how he will use me. I only know that I love Haiti with all my heart.

Today I was doing a bible study with two of my friends. We were reading in Acts chapter 16 about Paul and Silas. To summarize the story:

They had just been led by the Spirit of Jesus to Macedonia. Some people got saved including a business woman named Lydia but there they also ticked off some people, by driving a annoying demon out of a young servant girl. They were beaten and thrown in jail for this. This is where I think it gets interesting! Their feet are in the stocks. They are bleeding and bruised for preaching the Gospel. And its midnight. I think most of us would be begging God to deliver us. But what are Paul and Silas doing? They are sitting in their cells worshiping God. Then there is an earthquake and their chains fall off and the way is made clear for them to escape. My first thought is that this story, this earthquake, is all about how God delivered Paul and Silas from the hands of evil men. But that's not it at all. The earthquake wasn't about the salvation of Paul and Silas, It was about the salvation of one of the "evil men"- their Roman guard. So, the chains fell off, I would be sprinting out of that jail cell praising God for his deliverance. Who wouldn't? But somehow Paul and Silas caught the bigger picture, they were not focused on their own deliverance, and they stayed where they were at.

The Roman guard saw that the prison was broke open, assuming that all the prisoners had escaped, he was about to kill himself. Paul and Silas call out to him. The Romans eyes are opened though this and he says "what must I do to be save?" He takes them home to his house. That night he and his whole family are saved and baptized. They all go back to the prison the next morning where God provides a new way for Paul and Silas to be released.

Okay, so why am I telling you this story?

I find it extraordinary how in tuned to God's plan these two are. I want to be that close to Him that I can tell the difference between what is good and what is God.