kozefò team trip planning.

Published February 23, 2014.

I am a bit of a crier. Sentimental. Empathetic. Emotional. Sappy. Yep that’s me.

So today, as a group of some of my favorite people crowded into my living room with a slice of pizza and a special k bar to discuss the plans for a week in Haiti this summer, I was a bit of a wreck.  These family and friends have all committed to a week of learning and loving with me…on a sweet little island nation. Humbled. Thrilled.

Before launching into the logistics of the trip (packing list, instructions, details) I shared a few of my fav thoughts from The Hole in the Gospel…

Discerning our unique calling is not always a simple thing.  We need to be quiet enough to hear God’s still, small voice.  We must also faithfully read the Scriptures, pray diligently, follow the Lord’s teachings, listen to wise friends who know us, and consistently make ourselves available to serve. Finally, we have to remain open to God’s possibilities, always willing to take the outrageous risk and do the unpredictable thing.

…and a few more bits of wisdom from When Helping Hurts…

Our perspective should be less about how we are going to fix the materially poor and more about how we can walk together, asking God to fix us both…Getting the job done is less important than being together and getting to know one another…Stay away from the “go-help-and-save-them” message and use a “go-as-a-learner” message.

And so we will go. And we will learn.  We will spend time with the people that I already know and love…and soon my American friends will know and love my Haitian friends.  We will share a joy for learning with our sweet schoolkids and their families.  We will partner with Saul to do a few projects around the facilities.  We will converse, in the best way possible between Creole and English, with plenty of smiles and hugs and laughter.  We will visit sweet spaces where the work is already going strong (shout out to Heartline Ministries and The Apparent Project!)  There will be encouragement for our teachers and our staff.

There is planning and details to work out yet…but there is hope and faith and love…and that is really all that matters.

Let us all “remain open to God’s possibilities, always willing to take the outrageous risk and do the unpredictable thing.”