Down but NOT out!-A Summer that was rough but still blessed because God is Constant and Faithful.

This summer we were down a lot. It was a rough summer but it was also such a good because Jesus is constant and faithful. He always helped us get back up. The past two summers that I have spent in Haiti, I have faced some hard things. Things that were confusing and brought tears to my eyes. These things taught me and honestly were what prepared me for this summer. 

Some crazy, unexpected things happened this summer. There were things that knocked me to the floor, sometimes literally. Every time God helped me back up. However, it seemed like that very next day I was knocked back down to the ground. This summer God gave me a very real taste of what ministry, especially ministry in another culture, includes. Real life things that are hard happen.  This summer God taught me how to lean on Him and rely on His strength in those times. He also gave me the great blessing of serving alongside fellow missionaries who walked with me on this journey as we were all down but not out this summer. 

One of the hardest parts of this summer was that Jody and Jose were unable to be in country for several weeks because of sickness and getting supplies ready to ship to Haiti. This made things hard. Our entire staff missed them when they were gone. However, it was through their absence that God gave us opportunities to lead and to learn how to lead in difficult circumstances. Our entire staff also learned how to work together and lean on each other to do our best to keep things going. It was through their absence that God taught me some important lessons in leadership like how to handle conflict and the importance of communication. We also developed a great appreciation for technology because even though they were not in country with us the whole summer, they were only a vox or email away if we had questions. We all wished that they did not have to spend as much time in the States but through this experience there was growth in all of us as we figured out how to work together through the challenges and difficulties. Thankfully, they are both safely back in Haiti now!

This summer, we also had some tough times in our ministries. We learned that sometimes ministry does not go as we planned. We had many kids choose not to participate in ministry events for unknown reasons. We had never had kids not come to VBS before and it was hard. In this, I learned on a deeper level the importance of not counting numbers but to pour into the ones that are there even if it is just one. I also learned that sometimes you have to go to them. After trying VBS at the church for a few weeks with only a few kids coming, we set out the next week to simply find a group of kids to pour into. We walked to town and up the mountain where we found a group of about ten kids who were already gathered. We played soccer with them, painted the girls' fingernails, and shared a Bible story with them. This was an awesome experience because it allowed us to minister to them in their own neighborhood. We were able to see a little peek into their lives just by being in their neighborhood. Another area of ministry that we faced a lot of obstacles in was in our Bible studies that we did with kids from the community. Patrick had such a hard time recruiting boys for his boys' Bible study at the beginning of the summer. However by the end of the summer, he got to finish his last week by working alongside our Meridian team with a boys' sex education class and Bible study. Emily and I tried to continue to meet with and pour into our younger Bible study girls from last year. This was going well for the first few weeks, but by the middle of the summer they were no longer showing up for Bible study. One of the younger sisters of our girls, Merilande, started showing up though. It was so beautiful and refreshing to minister to this little girl who just desired to learn more about Jesus. She even told us one day that the other girls were not come anymore because we were not giving them things, but she did not care about getting things and just wanted to come to Bible study. Although this was incredible discouraging to hear about the other girls, this little girl’s honesty and pursuit to know Jesus more was so beautiful. We continued to meet with her for the last few weeks. Some of the other girls came randomly, but I believe that God sent us to specifically minister to encourage Merilande this summer.

The main thing that made this summer was hard was all of the sickness we faced. I definitely learned that there are days when you are not going to feel well but you still have to get out of bed and rely on His strength to keep going. Right at the beginning of the summer, I was struggling with fatigue. It made me feel drained by lunchtime or earlier. It made me slow down. This was SO hard for me. I had to rest even though I did not want to miss out on what everyone else was doing. After I was finally feeling less fatigued, Emily and I received our matching ringworm. We dubbed it our friendship ringworm. After our ringworm was gone or subsiding at least, we all were knocked down again with a virus. This virus was not fun at all. It left us exhausted and sore. It was also extremely difficult because most of us got it at the same time. We really learned how to rely on God and each other through this.

As we faced each and every one of our struggles this summer, we had to choose to trust God. We had to choose to trust hat He had a plan in all of this. We had to choose to rely on His strength because we did not have any of our own strength. We had to choose to keep serving Him in all things. It was rarely easy, but He was always faithful in walking beside us and in blessing us. 

These blessings are what gave us the energy and strength to keep going. Some of these blessings included the wonderful staff that I served alongside. I was so blessed by both the Haitian and American staff I now consider a part of my family. Another blessing of this summer were the thirty-five beautiful children who call our orphanage home. They never failed to cheer me up whether it was just through their beautiful smiles, their faith filled prayers, or their overwhelming hugs and kisses. The American teams who came and served alongside us this summer also richly blessed us. They came alongside us to encourage us and to minister with us. The messages, calls, and prayers that I received from my family and friends back in the States always blessed me. Each struggle that I faced this summer, I knew that I was showered in prayer by my faithful supporters and this gave me peace. The greatest blessing that He gave me this summer though, was His Spirit and His Word. They comforted, led, ministered, upheld, covered, and rescued me in each and every struggle that I faced. It was through studying His Word and through spending time in His presence that He refined me and led me through all of the things that happened this summer.

This summer was a rough summer, but we were never out. Oh yes, we were down a lot, but we were never out. Through His strength, we kept getting back up and out there. I am so thankful for all that God led me through and taught me this summer, the easy and the hard lessons. I am excited and anxious to see what He has in store for the next few months in the States and in the seven months I will be spending in Haiti. Please continue to join me in praying over these coming months and let me know how I can be praying for you.

Blessings!

Morgan