New Beginnings

I've been pretty silent on the blog-waves for many months.  2014-2015 was a hard school year for me in many ways, and it was impossible for me to voice my thoughts on this blog, mostly because at the time, I didn't understand my own thoughts.  I wrestled with God for a good portion of the school year as time with my best friends and roommates began to dwindle away.

In May, I had to say goodbye to not one, but two of my best and closest friends in the world.  My friendship with Keziah began in Port-au-Prince in 2010 and continued on as we eventually became roommates in Gonaives.  She left in May to move back to America and begin a new adventure.  Tia, my bestest friend/coworker/upstairs roommate/kindred spirit, also moved back to America in May and will be getting married this fall!  Seeing them leave our home permanently and say goodbye to all of our Haitian friends was one of the hardest things I have had to do in a long time.  I will miss them more than words can express.

But in their absence, God is still good and a new adventure begins this weekend.  I will be getting brand new roommate and co-worker, Laura!  I met Laura in 2011 while visiting a church in PA.  She approached me with excitement when she heard I was living in Haiti, and she asked if she could come visit me there.  That was where our friendship began - when I let a complete stranger come live with me for almost 2 weeks in Port-au-Prince!  During that time, she expressed to me the desire she had in her heart to live and work in Haiti one day.  She was only 19 years old and still in college.  I had heard many people say those same words before only to never follow through.  So, I didn't have much hope for her to ever come live in Haiti.  Fast forward a few years, and at the same time my roommate Kez was planning to move to America, Laura decided to move to Haiti.

She prayed a lot, completed our application process, began raising support, and tomorrow she will be flying back to Haiti with me to be my new roommate and join us as a teacher at Academie La Saline.    This girl has never once set foot in Gonaives, much less Jubilee - our beloved ghetto.  But her love for Haiti is unshakable, much like her faith, and she is certain of where she is supposed to be.  Please keep this warrior in your prayers as she leaps out in faith and moves to Haiti this weekend.  Pray for her as she learns a new language, culture, city, and lifestyle. (her blog: lhagyinhaiti.blogspot.com)