my water jugs

A few days ago I was sitting in the truck waiting [because thats mostly what life in Haiti consists of] and people watching [because that is by far the most entertaining pass time I have discovered in my 23 years of life]. In Port au Prince, the streets are constantly full of people walking at a leisurely pace but no doubt with a plan for where they are going and what they are trying to get accomplished. They are carrying things on their heads, dragging wheelbarrows full of stuff, pushing carts full of things, etc. etc. As I was watching, thinking about different faces, making up stories in my head for who they were and what their lives were like, two young boys caught my eye.

They looked to be brothers, no more than 6 and 7 years old, walking alone together on the side of the road. Their feet were dusty and calloused from so many miles walked with no shoes. Their clothes were torn and ragged, dusty, stained, and didn't match in any kind of way. I could see how thick the skin on their hands had  become from working, and their frames were much like that of most Haitian children: thin arms and legs with a pot belly [usually due to worms]. Their hair was short and they had some dry skin patches on their heads which were probably from a fungal infection of some kind. They each carried 2 gallon jugs of water that they had pumped at the water pump a good distance away, and they looked to be carrying them back to their house, maybe for their mother to cook with or for drinking later. It was a sweltering hot day, and their faces were covered in sweat mixed with the dust of Haiti. But on both of their faces were smiles so big they could light up the darkest of rooms. They talked and laughed, while they carried their loads [each with 1 jug on his head and 1 in his hand].

They stopped near my truck and put both of their jugs down to take a rest. They looked around and talked to each other some more, all the while smiling like they had not a care in the world. Then they saw me watching them, and they waved. I waved back and smiled, but couldn't figure out why these two  boys had grabbed my attention so tightly. After a few more seconds, they re-situated their jugs and resumed their walk. The smiles never left their faces... they were perfectly content with their day. And they were walking miles in 90 degree weather carrying 2 gallons of water that looked to weigh more than they themselves did.

Then it occurred to me that God put those boys there for me to see, to teach me about my journey in Haiti. It has been full of... well, lots of things... lots of crying, worrying, praying, laughing, fellowshipping, praising, teaching, learning, mourning, encouraging, and loving. No matter how the days go, when I get into bed at night, every night, I am joyful. I smile and I praise my Jesus for leading me here to live amongst these people. I am serving daily [carrying my water jugs] with a smile and with a joy that I know only comes from the Lord.

Many of you may know this already, but if you don't, when I go home in 9 days it will only be to put down my jugs and rest. I will be back in America for 5 weeks, and I will be smiling with a joy that I know only comes from the Lord. I will be back and forth between Lawrenceburg and Knoxville, with a few additional stops, and I will be spending as much time as possible with my family and friends that I have missed desperately while I have been in Haiti.

And then, after my 5 weeks is over, I will pick my water jugs back up, situate them back on my head, and with the same smile and the same joy, I will fly back to Haiti to continue serving God's people here. I will be back in Port au Prince from the end of January until the end of April, and then, who knows? I am taking this journey one step at a time. I have no idea where God is leading me, but if i did then there would be no trust involved, and how can I be considered to have Faith if I don't have to trust.

I like to think of the Bible as a love letter that God wrote specifically for me. I like to take the scripture and envision God with a pen thinking of me and writing things to me that I need to know. In Psalm 119:105 He wrote to me: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." How much light does a lamp give? Enough for you to maybe see one or two steps ahead of where you are standing. The Bible does not say that He will light my path like a flashlight [which would allow me to see far ahead of where I am now]. It only lets me see a few steps at a time. Which is sometimes hard, and frustrating, but I know that my God had a plan written for me before anybody else even knew I was going to exist. He has my days numbered, and He knows where He desires for me to spend every single one. So I am clinging to the promise that He is holding me and guiding me and directing my path. He has a plan. It may be crazy, and much different than the plan I would have chosen, but I would not rather be anywhere else than in the center of God's Will for me. I am leaning on Him and in faith trusting that He has a plan that is better than mine.

I don't know what that looks like to you. Crazy, I'm sure, is at least one of the top 3 things you are thinking. Radical, atypical, abnormal, silly... maybe. But my God is reassuring me daily that while it may be many things, the most important thing it is is FAITHFUL. I challenge you today to step out in faith and do whatever it is the Lord is leading you to do. It is hard, and it takes sacrifice that I didn't even understand existed before I started this journey with my Jesus. But it is well worth it friends... trading the immediate for the eternal is a GOOD trade. Join me :)