back to paradise

[I should preface this blog with this: I have heard so many testimonies of ways that God has moved in people's lives. I have heard many people stand up and tell amazing stories that seem almost untrue because they are so unusual. And I never thought I would have one of those stories to tell...]

As some of you may know and as many of you are about to learn, the Lord has given me the desires of my heart and I will be returning to Heaven on Earth [that is, Haiti], on August 9th. I will be living there until roughly December 15th. If you have a short attention span or a very limited amount of time, the point of this blog is as follows: I made plans, God changed them, everything fell into place, and I'm going back to Haiti and now skip down to the bottom and pick back up at the paragraph with the arrow. If, on the other hand, you have a minute or two, here is [as Paul Harvey would say], the rest of the story[that is totally worth reading, I promise]... 

I graduated from UT nursing school on May 12, 2011. I moved that afternoon into my new house that I just signed a 1 year lease on. I spent the night and went home to Lawrenceburg for a couple weeks. When I left Knoxville, my life looked like this: brand new nursing degree. ten job applications sent in [with a seemingly certain position at Peninsula where I already worked as an option as well]. about $11,000 in student loans. and a new house with a lease ending on May 15, 2012. I should add to this list a heart still in Haiti, but logic that said "maybe in a year". I thought I knew where I would be and what I would be doing at least for the next year. But, as we all know, our plans are of little value if we are being led by the Lord.

On May 11, the day before I graduated, I began praying for direction. And not direction that led to Haiti necessarily, but I prayed fervently that God would shut every single door except the one that He wanted me to walk through. After praying this, I committed out loud to the Lord that if He showed me exactly what to do, I would do it, no questions asked. I then resolved to wait. Which could possibly be the absolutely hardest thing for me to do... to wait on the Lord and not plan and not scurry around and not freak out... just to sit and wait. With His help, I did this, and He rewarded me in ways that I never would have thought. [Eph 3:20 "Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."]

Over the course of 2 weeks, God blew my mind. I did not--and still haven't--hear from a single hospital, including Peninsula where I was certain I had a job. At first I was a bit frustrated but I now see that this was God shutting doors, just like I had asked. One day I got a text from my sweet friend Sara [who is moving to Haiti and who you can learn more about here]. It read something like "I was thinking about you and praying for you this morning, and the Lord laid the fall on my heart." I thought to myself... well, lovely, but no way because I have all these loans and a house and this and that and so on and so forth. I then dismissed the thought, until the very next day when my Daddy came in. He asked "How much money do you owe in student loans?" To which I replied... I dunno, maybe like $11,000? Basically, A LOT. He said "okay, well, you should never have to make a payment on those... I plan to pay them for you. This has been my plan since you started school." To which I say Excuse me? He repeats himself, I am essentially speechless and SO grateful. And then it hits me... I don't have to pay back my loans. This left me wish a house, a heart still in Haiti, and still logic that said "not now."

so different than my game plan! [and so much better]

A few more days went by, and then I received a most unexpected phone call. A month prior to all of this, I had sent an email to Chris Keylon who is a missionary that works for an organization called Chadasha back and forth between the US and Haiti and who was working with us in Port au Prince while we were there. I didn't ask him anything specifically, just said I wanted to talk whenever he was free. And then he calls me, and he says "well, were you thinking you might want to go back?" To which I reply "um, YES. but I have a house." And he says "well, when do you wanna go?" I said "I dunno, maybe in the fall Sara says?" to which he says "okay, August to when? when do you need to be home?" I said "I dunno, Christmas?" to which he says "perfect. sounds great. buy your ticket, and let us know when to pick you up at the airport." We hang up, I dance around the house screaming and wake up all my mom's kids (she is a babysitter and it was nap time), and then realize that the house that existed at the beginning of the conversations still exists.

So, I remember that my friend Megan was contemplating moving into our house (which is a 3 floor, 5 bedroom, 3 1/2 bath that I share with 4 other girls), to share a room with Kiersten who is in the master bedroom. I call her and I tell her my situation and ask if she would rather have my room instead of sharing a room. She says probably, let me go look at it and I'll let you know. This seemed like the perfect plan [that I made myself, lets note]. A couple days later, Megan calls me back and she says "I looked at the house and I think I'd rather just share a room with Kiersten." I'm like "oh okay! Whatever is best for you!" but in my head I'm like "okay really? God what the heck is going on? this was a perfect plan!" 

[Let me interupt the story and tell you something else about the house. My housemates and I had been attempting to get couches for our living room since about March. We had tried 3 different times to get couches off Craigs list, and had gotten the shaft each time. I shop in Craigs list quite often, and had never in my life been shafted so many times! I was beyond frustrated. So, we decided to just wait and try to get some later.]

I'm praying and praying about what God wants me to do with this house, and He reminds me of my sweet friend Hope! She had initially looked at the house with us and wanted to live there, but we ran out of bedrooms and she was not able to. I called her and she said she had not gotten a place yet and that it would be perfect! She was so excited, and I was too, until she said "wait, there is one really important thing that I have to have." I'm thinking to myself "Lord, please let this be something that the other girls are okay with!" And then Hope says "I have to have somewhere to put a full set of living room furniture that my grandparents just gave me." I literally began laughing uncontrollably because I was so amazed at the plan the Lord had made. I hung up the phone and realized I no longer had a lease to worry about.

I met with Chris as soon as I got back to Knoxville and confirmed that I was able to go. It was a crazy crazy 2 weeks, overflowing with the Lord's provision! I had never experienced anything like it. After it was all laid out and I could see what He had been planning, I realized that I had been making too many plans by myself. As soon as I surrendered and professed that I would do anything He wanted, He began to move in ways I had never experienced. I still have a heart that is in Haiti, but now a logic that says "whatever Christ says, do it". It has been an awesome testimony so far, and I am certain that it will only get better. My Lord is so sweet to me!

--->While I'm in Haiti, I will be working in a couple of orphanages, helping with several heart surgeries for children who will die without them, doing medical mobile clinics to remote areas, working out of "almost free" clinics in the city, loving on every Haitian person in sight, and sharing the Gospel of Jesus with these people. Some of you may get a letter in the mail, if I had your address, that is a short version of this. But many people have asked me to post online how you can support me as I pursue Christ to another country. First of all, I ask for your prayers. I cannot do this without the strength of the Lord, and the prayers of my brothers and sisters. Secondly, I have to raise $3500 which will include my plane ticket and cost of living for 4 1/2 months. If you feel led to support me financially, you can mail any checks (made out to me) or money to:

Chelsey Beckman

1107 Carey Circle

Lawrenceburg, TN 38464

I have never been so certain that I am walking with the Lord and going where He wants me to go. I will keep updating this blog as I prepare to go to Haiti, as well as once I am there. It will be the main way for you to keep up with me and I ask that you share this link with anyone and everyone. The more people who know what is going on in Haiti, the more prayers and support the Lord will raise up from our nation. Money will not save Haiti, food will not save Haiti, I will not save Haiti, Americans will not save Haiti. Jesus Christ will save Haiti.. will you be a contributor to the work He is doing there by praying and supporting those who are going?  

[Isaiah 6:8 "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'HERE I AM!! SEND ME!!'"]