How God's Will is Always Best

God was calling us to move. (If you haven’t read my previous post, I recommend it. It’s an amazing testimony about hearing from God.) ⁣

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After hearing God call us to move, we had our house remodeled (at very little cost us), and put our house on the market. We were househunting and we found this 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗸𝗲 and 𝘄𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 God had for us. ⁣

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𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴? That was us in this moment. We liked the look of the house and it was on the lake, but we were ignoring the fact that 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀. ⁣

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We wanted to move ahead and try to buy the house. However, after multiple attempts of trying to buy it, 𝙞𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙪𝙩. We were even offering more than what the house was worth. But 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗸𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿. ⁣

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I prayed and prayed about where we should live. Our house had sold and we were running out of time before our closing date. God kept putting on my heart these words: “𝙄𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡”. I didn’t exactly know what he was trying to say. I mean I was thinking, “Of course it is well with my soul. I trust You. And I’m being obedient. We’re moving. Not sure exactly what You’re trying to tell me.” ⁣

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But 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗵𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁. To the point that every time I thought about us buying a house that was the phrase that came to mind. We were going around looking at houses, but none of them were right for us. We were trying not to get discouraged. We knew God had a house out there for us, we just had to find it. And hopefully, before we closed on our former home. The search went on and nothing was right. ⁣

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Then my great friend and amazing realtor Angela Merritt Whitmire brought us to a neighborhood that was 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲. Of course, we loved all the homes in this neighborhood. And we couldn’t afford any of them. We pulled into this long driveway with a house on top of a hill with a beautiful yard that had many acres. ⁣

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My husband was like, “Yeah, this house is gorgeous but we can’t afford it, I’m sure.” ⁣

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We went in through the garage and entered the kitchen. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙨𝙖𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝. ⁣

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There, hanging over the sink, was a wooden sign that read, “𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹.” ⁣

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I actually laughed. 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. When God told Abraham that Sarah was going to have a baby she laughed. When God told me that this was going to be my house, I laughed. I thought, “There’s no way. I know that God has been putting that phrase on my heart, but 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲.” ⁣

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My realtor said, “Make an offer. Just make an offer. You never know.” So we made an offer on the house and we really didn’t think it would be accepted. The offer we made was in our price range, but definitely not an accurate price for the house. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗚𝗼𝗱. 𝗛𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲. 𝗛𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀. The offer was accepted and we have been here for three years. 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱. 𝗛𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀.

How God Revealed His Will Through a Broken Pipe

If you ask, 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪. If you are seriously seeking it and paying attention. And He often does it in the most extraordinary ways. ⁣

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A little over three years ago, I felt God 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚. We had been in the same house for about 15 years, and I heard God saying very clearly that it was time to move from this place. So I told my husband what God had been putting on my heart.⁣

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He said, “ Heather, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙮 that we can move from this house. We have to do an entire kitchen remodel before we can even put the house on the market. We don’t have the money for that.”⁣

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So I went back to God and prayed again. And 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙃𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚. So I told my husband that I didn’t know how it was going to happen, but that God was clearly telling us to move. And, again, my husband said that the only way we would be able to move would be if we remodeled the kitchen. Which was very true. It definitely needed to be updated.⁣

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So I went back to God on a Tuesday (it seems random, but it’s not), and 𝗜 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗶𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻 if He wanted us to move. Because we didn’t have the money to do that.⁣

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𝗢𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 under the sink. We called plumbers out to see what the problem was.⁣

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They told us that actually the pipe damage was more extensive than originally thought. That the damage spread through almost the entire house. We would have to file it with our homeowner’s insurance and have 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙣, 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢, 𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢, 𝙙𝙚𝙣, 𝙗𝙤𝙣𝙪𝙨 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢... 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙄𝙍𝙀 𝙃𝙊𝙐𝙎𝙀. ⁣

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It was covered by homeowner’s insurance, so we only had to pay a little bit out of our own pockets. 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙖 𝙠𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙡, 𝙃𝙚 𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙡.⁣

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I looked at my husband and said, “Well, 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙧. God is calling us to move.” 𝗜 𝗰𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗜 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀, 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗚𝗼𝗱, 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝗺 𝘀𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆, 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆, 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲. ⁣

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I’ll share how God directed us to our new home next time. It’s just as amazing.

My Very First Mission Trip- Part 1: Preparing for a Mission Trip

I just returned from Haiti on my very first mission trip. It was an incredible experience, but no one could have ever prepared me for what I was about to encounter. Sure I read about life in Haiti, and our youth pastor told us what to expect, but actually experiencing it for myself was a completely different story. When I first felt called to go on this mission trip I was so excited. It is something I have been wanting to do since I was a little girl, but I never felt like it was God's timing. Finally, I got to go. I sent out support letters and was overwhelmed by the response. What a relief to know months before I left that my trip was covered and I was ready to go. Everything was sunshine and rainbows... that is until about a week before the trip. All of a sudden panic set in. What if I got sick? What if my body wasn't physically fit enough to handle the heat and the work we would be doing? What if my passport was stolen while I was there? What if I didn't like the food and I starved? The week before we left I was struck by overwhelming fear that I could not shake. I think it a lot to do with the unknown. I had never been on a mission trip before and I didn't know what to expect. I knew I couldn't get out of it. I had many people who had supported me and there was no way out. So I packed my luggage. One carry on and one backpack or purse.

TIP #1: Choose what you pack wisely. I think I did okay in this area. It can be a challenge though, depending where you go. There typically wasn't laundry service unless you want to wash you clothes in the sink or bathtub. Also, everyone in our group planned on leaving as many clothes as possible to be distributed to the people in the Haitian community. Since we were going to be there for a week, I packed 7 pairs of shorts or capris and 7 tops. Rolling them up in my suitcase took up less space than traditional folding. I unboxed 21 granola bars and packed those because I had no idea what Haitian food was going to be like and I didn't want to go hungry. I also packed a battery operated fan (which I determined later did not work well at all), and basic toiletries, sunscreen, and mosquito repellent. Make sure to keep all of your liquids in a Ziploc bag in easy reach. You will probably have to remove them from your bag when you go through airport security. What I did not pack is makeup.

Trust me, there's no reason to do that. You're just going to sweat it off anyway, I promise. In my backpack I packed my Bible, books to read, cards to play, my wallet, my identification, and vitamins. I totally recommend that you take vitamins with you; they really helped me get through the trip with enough energy and nutrients.

Tip #2- Keep all vital supplies in your carry on and backpack. So many of my friends have been separated from their luggage for days on mission trips. They were without clothes, shoes, and other important belongings. Also, when you check your bag and go to baggage claim to get it, you are betting that someone does not take your bag before you get to it. That has happened multiple times too. Just to be safe, have all of your necessities on you in your carry on luggage.

Tip # 3- Fill a large suitcase with candy, jump ropes, and small toys to distribute to the children you will be encountering. I would even suggest that as many people as possible on your trip check a bag like this. Our group hosted an event for children and there were so many supplies that we wish we had brought to give to the kids. We had some things to distribute, but we could have done a lot more.

Tip #4- Complete all paperwork and medical requirements early. Do NOT wait until the last minute to get your passport or gather your required documentation. Waiting until the last minute to get your passport could mean you do not get your passport in time or you could have to pay a hefty sum in addition to the already costly expense of a passport to expedite it. As soon as you know that you are going on a mission trip, look up what you will need to have your passport application processed. You can google it or you can click here to se a list of requirements and fill out your passport application. You will need a passport picture, which you can get at your local drug store's photo department. Also, I thought I had to go down to the main passport office in Atlanta, which takes hours. This is really only necessary if you have waited until the very last minute to get your passport. And I mean the very last minute. You can also head over to your local county clerk's office and it takes about 15 minutes if you already have the paperwork filled out and printed.

Also, as soon as you know that you going on a mission trip, find out what immunizations are recommended or required for travel to the country in which you are going. The CDC has a list of immunization recommendations based on the country. You definitely want to check out what is needed and determine how much it will cost you as soon as possible. It can cost a few hundred dollars to get all of the immunizations and you will need to account for that in your fundraising.

Tip #5- Look at purchasing an International Plan for you mobile phone. It is almost impossible to spend an entire week (or longer) in another country without using a single byte of data. Know what your cell phone provider charges for international rates without an international plan and also with an international plan. My international plan was $10 per day for unlimited calls, texts, and data. I was one of the adult leaders on a youth group trip, so I went with this option knowing that teens may need to check in with their parents. Also, I just didn't want have to worry that I might have an app running in the background and be incurring fees for international usage without knowing it. I would suggest that at least a couple of people in your group have an international plan that can be used by others in your group. When someone in the group uses the phone, they offer up a dollar or two to help cover the cost of the international plan. In this way, it is like you are sharing the international plan and it makes it cheaper for everyone.

After all of the administrative tasks have been handled, immunizations have been administered, and my bags were packed, it was time to head to the airport. I had to get up at 3:00 in the morning to meet my group at the church by 4:00.... Ehrmagherd that was so early! It was necessary, though, because we needed to arrive at the airport two hours in advance for an international flight. We made it though security. I am used to taking off my shoes, and keeping my liquids in a Ziploc bag, but security personnel was asking that we remove all snacks from our bag. What!? And this was not for international flights only. This was everyone leaving from Atlanta going to Des Moines, New York, or Haiti. I had 21 granola bars tucked away in the bottom of my luggage. There was no way I was getting them out. A student we were traveling with had 40 bags of Hot Cheetohs. No joke. Not quite sure why they were checking snacks, but just be prepared in case. I did not get my granola bars out and I passed through security just fine. We boarded the plane, flew to Fort Lauderdale for a layover (thank goodness for Uno), and then we were on our way to Haiti. When we got off the plane in Fort Lauderdale our youth pastor asked everyone to check and make sure they had their passport. We all laughed,thinking, "Who could have lost their passport already?" Well.... one student almost left his on the plane. Ask everyone to check for their passport every time they board or exit a plane. It could save you a major headache. As the plane pulled into the gate in Haiti, my stomach was in knots. This was it. The moment I had been waiting for for 33 years.

This post was just about preparing to go to Haiti. Continue to part 2 which describes the week spent in Haiti.

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#missiontrip #Haiti