Many of you who have read my blog for a while may remember that my roommate, Bethany (usually referred to as “B” on the blog), went on a missions trip to Haiti last year (after also going the previous year shortly after the earthquake) to serve as a nurse on a medical team with the North Carolina Baptist Men / Baptists on Mission.

This week, she’s preparing to go back to serve again, and this time, I got to hear the inside scoop about the trip from both her AND the trip leader, Rachel, who is in PA school. I hope you enjoy hearing what’s on their hearts as much as I did as they both anticipate returning to a place that they love so dearly.

{Bethany on the left & Rachel on the right … looking all official w/their scrubs & medical supplies}

When are you leaving and how long will you be there?

B: We leave this Sunday {insert huge grin here}, July 22. Rachel and I will be there two weeks, and there will be five other people joining us each week we’re there.

Where will you be in Haiti and what type of work will you be doing?

B: We’ll be staying in the same area as last year in a small village about 20 miles north of the Port Au Prince airport and we’ll be working in medical clinics with a very similar set-up to last year. {see this post from last year for a glimpse into a typical day at the clinics.}

What are you most looking forward to about this trip?

B: You know I have to be honest … I was thinking about it and because we’re staying two weeks, I’ll get to go back to church this time, and I’m excited about that! The first year I went, we got to go to church with the people at the orphanage we stayed at, and it was so neat to see how they worship. Even though we all live in different places, and speak different languages, and do different things, at the end of the day, we all worship the same God!

R: I think I’m most excited to see my dear friends in Haiti, to see my little girl Venia and her family, and to see baby Rachel and her mom. Baby Rachel turned 1 on July 12th – the same day I finished my last exam of my first year of PA school! {y’all, just for the record, Rachel helped deliver baby Rachel last year while she was in Haiti, and she is just precious!}

How are you expecting the Lord to work?

R: I’m praying that the Lord will use our teams to foremost share the Gospel and invite others to accept Christ’s free gift of eternal life. Then, I’m praying our team can meet the medical needs of the people. We have a young team of medically trained members and other non-medical members, but I’m praying God will use each of us and our gifts to assist our Haitian medical teams to see/treat all the patients.

What’s with all the flip-flops?

B: When I went to Haiti last time … well, there are obvious needs for medicines and stuff, but my Aunt and cousin really wanted to do something for the children. So when I got back we were talking about how they didn’t really have a lot of clothes and how they’d just be running around in whatever pieces of clothes they could find, and so my Aunt decided to make dresses for the little girls. My cousin got a few pairs of flip-flops, and my mom and I just decided to get even more because a lot of the kids don’t really have shoes either. It’s just a way to bless them!

Has the Lord laid any particular Scripture on your heart for this trip?

R: God brought back to mind 2 Corinthians 12:8-10. This was the lesson that God taught me on my last trip {to Haiti} in December. And this was the devotional I presented to my team challenging them that in our weaknesses, God can work through us and give us strength. And He gives the Haitian people grace in their brokenness and sickness.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (v. 9)

Little did I know that this verse would become so powerful to me personally as I became very ill mid-week. I had to FULLY trust God to be with me in my weakness and trust His grace and healing power for me. When we are helpless, God’s strength and power is even more evident…when I was weak, on my knees and in pain, all I could do was look up to the only One who saved me and could be my stronghold.

How can we specifically be praying for you and the team?

B: For smooth travel. For safety and health during the trip … and for “cool” … especially since it’s gonna be so hot! That the stuff/supplies all make it there. And mostly that people’s hearts would be open, because yeah, we’re there to meet a physical need, but we’re really there to meet a spiritual need.

R: For preparations this week. For safety and health. For travel/flights. For cool breezes and quick acclimation to the heat (without AC…). For strength and excitement in sharing God’s love. That God will work in each team member’s heart to break and mold us into His likeness, so that we become bold and courageous…and that God would teach us, give us confidence and recall in what we’re trained to do, and that He would use us in a MIGHTY way! For sleep/rest prior to and during the trip. For the Haitian staff and our host couple. To see God’s glory and His hand at work in all that we do.

Anything else we should know or you would like to share?

R: I just get soooo excited and feel so at home serving in Haiti! I am so thankful for God walking and guiding me through this tough school year and now allowing me to return to Haiti. I’m also excited for my sister and brother to experience God’s work in Haiti with me and seeing my passion and calling being fulfilled.

I am so looking forward to hearing how God works in and through both of these women and their teams in Haiti over the next two weeks!

Would you join me in praying for Bethany and Rachel and their teams as they serve?

{all photos, except the flip-flops, are courtesy of B from her prior trips to Haiti}